Washington County Commissioners unanimously voted to renew a contract with the Code Red emergency notification system at their Thursday, September 9 meeting.
Washington County Emergency Management Agency Director Russell Riner explained during the Tuesday, September 7 workshop and the Thursday, September 9 meeting that Washington County has used the emergency notification system for over 10 years.
“The contract renews annually every year in July,” said EMA Director Riner when discussing the contract. He went on to say that this year, however, the contract included a six percent increase.
Riner explained to Commissioners that in 2020, the annual cost of Code Red was $8,500; with the six percent increase, the new contract would amount to $9,010.
Riner stated that he contacted Code Red about the increase, and ultimately negotiated the increase from six percent to three percent. The annual fee for the service would total $8,809.
The reduction was contingent on the County signing a three-year contract.
“It’s being used,” said Washington County EMA Director Riner when discussing the notification system; he added that Code Red is a very important tool that is used to notify the public of emergency situations.
Some of the alerts that can be sent via Code Red include: weather alerts, missing person notifications, boil water notices, power outages, evacuation notices, and time-sensitive notifications.
With CodeRED, state and local agencies can deliver geo-targeted, time-sensitive information to individuals who have registered to receive alerts. Notifications can be sent via email, SMS, voice, and/or mobile app push notifications.
According to EMA Director Riner, the County and the City of Sandersville split the cost of the annual contract; the County’s portion amounts to $4,404.50.
After discussing the three-year contract, Washington County Commissioners unanimously voted to continue the emergency notification system.
To register for Code Red, visit the Washington County website at www.washingtoncountyga.gov, and scroll to the bottom of the page to select “Code Red” included in the “Quick Links” portion of the page; residents and businesses will need to complete the form that loads by following that link.