Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Communications topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Belmont board weighs townwide notification apps, seeks options that include text messaging
Summary
Select Board reviewed multiple townwide notification vendors offering varying features and price points, discussed accessibility for residents with flip phones, and asked staff to return with two or three demos (basic, middle, advanced) prioritizing text-messaging capability and phased pricing.
Belmont—oard of Selectmen reviewed options for a townwide notification system and asked staff to come back with vendor demos and competitive pricing for a basic, midrange and full-featured product that includes text messaging.
A staff presenter said vendors varied in capabilities and price. One branded-app option quoted an implementation package with 25,000 text messages and an initial-year cost near $5,600, with recurring annual fees "between $4,600 and $5,000" in subsequent years; other vendors ranged from about $4,000—or a simpler product to $7,000 nd $10,000 for higher-end services. The presenter said per-text charges and limits on the number of included messages vary by vendor and cautioned that text messaging can be expensive if not bundled.
Board members repeatedly emphasized the need to include text messaging because of the town emographic mix. One selectman noted many residents still use flip phones and would not use an app; another said younger residents prefer apps and fewer texts. The board also prioritized geolocation features for public works and public-safety uses, permissions and approval workflows for departmental posting, and analytics to measure uptake.
Questions from the board focused on budget impact and implementation logistics. Members asked whether the cost had been budgeted and where funds would come from; staff suggested reallocating general expense or IT lines and spreading some payments into the following fiscal year. Board members also raised staffing questions about who would manage the system and whether departments could be given controlled access to post emergency or department-specific notices.
The board directed staff to narrow the field to one basic and one more complex vendor (the presenter suggested also identifying a middle option), request brief demos for the board, and return with cost comparisons and implementation timelines. Staff said some vendors can launch immediately on a monthly trial and others require four to eight weeks to implement.
