LIVERMORE — At the June 6 meeting, Selectpersons discussed TextMyGov, a communications system that shares information with citizens.

TextMyGov.com is a simple way to communicate with citizens, making it easy to find information, report issues and receive alerts, according to an information sheet provided at the meeting.

“Somebody brought it up to me,” Selectperson Scott Richmond said. It is done through emails, he stated.

Maine has a similar way of sending mass texts for amber and silver alerts, things like that, Selectperson Brett Deyling noted.

People don’t know when we are having special town meetings, public hearings, when we are voting, Richmond stated.

The town’s website is up, needs to have minutes from meetings added, Administrative Assistant Carrie Judd said.

Deyling suggested putting more information on the website and Facebook page.

“We do advertise information on Facebook, have it on our website, in all the stores in town,” Richmond responded. “People say they don’t follow Facebook. Nobody reads the paper anymore. What more can we do?”

For a text notification system, telephone numbers would need to be provided, Deyling stated. He wondered if that was a good idea due to privacy issues regarding people’s information.

Richmond said he wouldn’t mind email, didn’t like texting.

“I think it’s an awesome idea,” Selectperson Joshua Perkins stated. “From being new, to try to get information about what’s going on in the town, I always felt like it was a secret. I have tried to find information off our website. I think this is a good starting point.”

Perkins preferred emails over texting, but felt people should have the option. “I don’t think we have to lock into one or the other but I do like this information and I think if we got one or two people to come to the meetings that’s more than we have now.”

Deyling said he doesn’t look at emails, preferred texts.

Contact information would have to be provided, there are some drawbacks but if people want to find out what’s going on in town this is one way to do it, Richmond noted.

“It is something to think about,” Deyling said. “I thinks it is worth looking into, find out the cost, if there is a trial. See how many people are actually interested in it, would buy into it.

“Maybe we do get some more people to come in here and actually talk to us because the only interaction I have with anybody outside this room is when I go to the transfer station.”

 

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