Idaho Falls is rolling out a new enhancement to its citizen notification system which will allow the City to reach more residents with both time-sensitive notifications and routine communications via email, text message, and voice.

The City has had an email system via their website for more than five years, as well as live streaming of City Council meetings and a separate texting system, but the capabilities of the texting system were limited and disconnected. The new system, called Civic Ready, provides more of a “one-stop-shop” and allows the City to interface seamlessly with other communication platforms, including the City’s social media pages and website. 

“Providing accurate, reliable, and timely information to our community is very important to us, and we are always looking for ways to improve communication,” said Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper. “There are so many ways to get information these days, but by subscribing to City notifications you can receive factual, timely information directly from the source on issues that are important to you.”

Residents can continue to choose from emails, texts, or voice messages to notify them of areas of interest. The new improved system allows the City to send an unlimited amount of texts, provides the ability to schedule important notices to go out in advance, and includes the ability for users to select their preferred language for the notifications. 

The City is also expanding the notification options to include things like leaf collection, road construction, contractor license training, information from Idaho Falls Power and Idaho Falls Fiber, and Planning and Zoning meetings. The City anticipates expanding notification options in the future.  

Citizens who already subscribed to receive notifications through the City’s prior texting system for things such as Parks and Recreation sports programs, events, or snow removal parking restriction notifications do not have to subscribe again. Those users were migrated over to the new system.  

To subscribe, unsubscribe, or modify notifications, go to the City of Idaho Falls website at www.idahofalls.gov and click on the blue Stay Informed button. Users can also sign up for emergency notifications sent from the Idaho Falls/Bonneville County Dispatch Center from that webpage.

“Even if people signed up in the past for notifications, we encourage them to go online and see if there are any new, additional areas that are of interest to them,” said Casper.  “We hope to continue to add new areas of interest from time-to-time and we hope residents will continue to sign up and get informed on important topics.”

Residents are also encouraged to follow City of Idaho Falls departments on social media and to stay tuned to local media outlets for important information. 

About CivicPlus: CivicReady is part of the CivicPlus Platform of local government technology solutions designed exclusively for the public sector. CivicPlus delivers technology solutions that enable local governments to optimize the experience they deliver when interacting with citizens. Over 4,000 local governments use CivicPlus solutions when serving their 250 million citizens. For more information, visit civicplus.com.

Media Note: For more information or to schedule an interview with City staff, contact Public Information Officer, Kerry Hammon.