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Vendor pitches replacement for Code Red; Robbinsville lawyer flags consent limits for imported contact lists
Summary
TextMyGov presented its emergency-alert product to the Robbinsville council, offering a first-year price of $3,000 and import services for resident contacts; the town attorney cautioned that adding phone numbers without individual consent could violate no-call rules and asked staff to prioritize opt-in and legal review before any bulk import.
Tegan, a representative for TextMyGov, told the Robbinsville Town Council the vendor could provide a replacement notification system for the town at a first-year cost of $3,000 and $2,500 annually thereafter. He said the firm can import contact lists from postal-service-derived databases or a provided Excel file and add a signup widget to the town website to let residents opt in.
"We can definitely import those over… all we need to get those imported is just an Excel sheet of the numbers," Tegan said, and added that his company has helped more than 1,000 municipalities. He said the vendor would send an initial contact message so recipients could opt out if they wished.
Robbinsville's city attorney cautioned that sending messages to people who have not consented can raise legal issues—particularly for numbers on no-call lists or phones registered to the federal Do Not Call program. The attorney told the council: "Putting somebody into a database that they have not given you permission to do so is not legal," and recommended staff confirm compliance with telemarketing/no-call rules and avoid automatic enrollment without clear statutory authority.
Council members asked whether the vendor offers email, voice and text; Tegan confirmed all three channels are supported. Members also pressed on customer support hours—Tegan said the company assigns an account manager and maintains office hours rather than 24/7 operator staffing—and on reliability after reported Code Red outages; the vendor said its service has operated without downtime since 2019.
The council requested the vendor agreement and agreed to have staff and the attorney review the contract and legal questions about importing lists before any termination notice is sent to Code Red. The vendor noted Code Red may require a 60-day written cancellation notice, so the council will consider timing in its decision.
What happens next: staff will circulate the vendor agreement to the council and the town attorney for legal review before any contractual commitment or bulk import of contacts.
