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Millville launches in-house mass-notification system using CivicPlus
Summary
Millville unveiled a new in-house mass notification system from CivicPlus that city officials said will let them send targeted text, voice, email and app alerts without relying on county services. Officials detailed sign-up options and use limits for major incidents only.
Millville municipal emergency management coordinator William Stannard told commissioners June 16 that the city has put a mass-notification system into service and will operate it in-house through CivicPlus, the vendor that also hosts the city website. Stannard said the move restores local control and avoids variable costs tied to county-provided alerts.
Stannard said the platform can send text messages, automated voice calls, emails and app notifications, and it integrates with the city website and social-media channels so one message can publish in multiple places with a single action. For landlines the system can place calls to registered numbers; for mobile devices it can send texts and push notifications. City staff can target alerts to specific geographic areas, for example the area around a water-main repair or major road construction, or send citywide messages for large incidents.
Officials emphasized the system is intended for major, prolonged incidents rather than routine police blotter items. Stannard described how residents can sign up three ways: scanning a QR code on the city website to select categories of alerts, downloading the My Alerts app (Apple and Android) that supports location-based notifications nationwide, or texting a short code (38276) to register for phone-only alerts. He noted the text shortcode method registers a phone number only and does not provide location-based targeting.
The city plans outreach at municipal buildings and public locations to encourage sign-ups. Stannard said staff will publish a flyer and use the city’s website and social-media pages to explain category choices (emergency alerts, trash/sanitation delays, parks notices, school-related alerts). He offered to answer questions from commissioners and residents after the presentation.
Officials did not provide a vendor contract value during the presentation. Stannard said the county’s notification capability had become unreliable or costly in recent months and that bringing the service in-house with CivicPlus was the most cost-effective and operationally straightforward approach.
