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Selectboard weighs text-alert system to notify transfer-station customers
Summary
Board members discussed a proposal for a $660/year text-alert service (up to 2,000 subscribers) to notify residents when the transfer station is closed; members asked staff for counts of eligible customers and whether the service would reach the right people before deciding.
The selectboard discussed a transfer-station manager’s request to subscribe to a text-alert service that would allow the town to notify up to 2,000 subscribers and send up to 24,000 texts annually for about $660 per year. Presenter (Speaker 5) relayed the manager’s concern that Facebook posts did not reliably reach all customers during recent unplanned closures.
"This 1 quote he has, looks like you could have 2,000 subscribers and send up to 24,000 texts every year... This is for $660," Presenter (Speaker 5) said. Board members asked for a more detailed breakdown of how many customers hold the town’s color-coded cards and whether phone numbers were recorded for those users. Some members criticized the approach as potentially expensive relative to coverage and warned of information overload from mass alerts. Presenter (Speaker 5) said the transfer station operation is financially healthy, reporting the service was "$90,000 up last year," and offered to supply subscriber counts to the board.
The board did not adopt the service at the meeting and asked staff to return with precise counts of eligible cardholders and alternative quotes.
