Union County Weighs Switching Emergency Alert Service Amid Conflicting Reports

Union County officials left commissioners and residents with competing pictures of the county’s emergency-notification strategy after recent meeting discussions. Julie Erway, director of the county Emergency Management Agency, recommended that commissioners contract with Regroup for $9,000 for one year, with the company sending alerts via landlines, cellphones and Alexa devices. At the same time, Deputy County Manager Amy Wagner told commissioners the county had negotiated no price increase on its Everbridge contract and would offer Everbridge to all 21 Union County municipalities at no cost, a change Wagner said “will take us to 10 years.”

Those two accounts have not been reconciled in public materials made available so far. The Regroup recommendation describes a specific one-year, $9,000 proposal and delivery methods that include voice and smart-speaker endpoints. The Everbridge presentation focused on preserving the existing platform, securing “no increase on this contract,” and expanding access for municipalities; Wagner said the county “offers it to all 21 municipalities if they would like to use it at no cost to them.” Commissioner Mirabella praised that municipal offer, saying, “I'm happy that you were able to include that ... saving them significant dollars to use this program.”

Procedurally, county staff presented the Everbridge item during an agenda-setting meeting without a formal vote and placed it on the evening regular meeting agenda for further consideration. County staff offered to answer questions during that session but did not announce a final policy change or additional funding at the agenda-setting stage.

For residents, the confusion matters in practical ways. Different platforms have different sign-up and delivery expectations; county- and vendor-facing pages for systems such as CodeRED and AlertSense note features residents commonly encounter - mobile apps, multiple delivery methods, and the need to register or confirm contact details because many households no longer use traditional landlines. Some vendor pages also describe free resident registration and self-service profile management. Those pages appear to describe similar services used by other jurisdictions and may not reflect the county’s final choice.

The coming regular meeting is the next checkpoint for clarity. Commissioners could vote, request contract documents, or schedule further review. In the meantime, residents should watch official county communications for instructions on how to confirm or update alert contacts and for any announcements about which vendor will operate the county system and how municipal access will be implemented. The outcome will determine how alerts reach households during severe weather, evacuations, and other emergencies, and whether local governments across all 21 municipalities will have access at no cost.