A town council app: news, events, reports and alerts

A town app puts the council in every resident’s pocket. News, events, service opening hours, and an alert when it matters. It starts at €19 a month, with no endless tender process.

Tuesday, 7 a.m. A water main has burst on School Street, and the road is closed until noon. The council newsletter comes out in three weeks, and the Facebook page only reaches some residents.

With an app, the message lands on residents’ screens in seconds, before they get in the car. Here I show you the sections that make up a town app, with real demos.

Why a town council needs an app

The printed newsletter arrives once a month, and the website waits for people to visit. The app goes to residents at the moment the information matters.

It also brings the council closer to people who never come to the front desk: working people, young parents, newcomers. Everything they look for is in one place, at any hour.

Everything below applies to a town or city council, a group of municipalities, a municipal office, a festival committee or a neighbourhood association.

The sections of a town app

The screens below come from several of our demos, built for other trades: a school, a charity, a company, a practice. The building blocks are exactly the ones a council needs, you just put them together.

News

Roadworks, council decisions, the pool closing, school canteen sign-ups opening: each piece of news has its photo and its date. Residents can comment if you wish, or you turn comments off.

Events

Christmas market, summer fair, car boot sale, council meeting: each date with its times and its place. If the calendar already exists online, it connects through iCal and updates itself.

Services on a map

Town hall, library, recycling centre, schools, community halls: each place with its address and its photo, and a map in one tap.

Reports

A broken streetlight, fly-tipping, a pothole: residents send a photo, a video or a text from their phone. You can also build a more detailed report form, with the location, the category and an attachment. The guide is in the article on app forms.

Add a simple practical page too: opening hours of each service, useful phone numbers, bin collection days, and how to register a birth or book a community hall. These are the questions the front desk answers every day, now answered at any hour.

Alert residents in seconds

“School Street closed until noon, diversion via Park Avenue”. This message goes to every resident who has installed the app, right away or at the time you choose. Notifications are unlimited, in every plan.

Heatwave, water cut, bin collection moved, elections: the app becomes the channel for news that can’t wait.

Who keeps the town app alive?

The communications officer, or a councillor, in a few minutes a week. If the council already has a WordPress site, its news shows up in the app with no retyping. See the article on automatic content.

The simplest way to start: news, events, service opening hours, and a report form.

How much does a town app cost

At Maymoune, every feature is included in all three plans, with no extra charge based on population:

• Starter, €19 a month: your web app, installed from a link or a QR code.
• Ultra, €59 a month: the same, plus the iPhone, iPad and Android app on the stores.
• Ultra lifetime, €2,999: a one-time payment, with publishing on the App Store and Google Play included.

My advice: print the QR code in the next council newsletter, on the notice boards and at the town hall front desk, with a simple line: “Town news, live on your phone”. Plan details are on the pricing page.

To go further: local life and tourism are covered in the article on a tourist office app, schools in the one on a school app, and writing messages in the one on push notifications. Other questions are answered in the FAQ.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an app for a town council cost?

€19 a month for the web app, €59 a month with the iPhone and Android apps, or €2,999 once and for all. The price does not depend on population. Details are on the pricing page.

Can we send an alert to every resident?

Yes. A notification goes to every resident who has installed the app, right away or at the chosen time.

Can residents report a problem?

Yes, by sending a photo, a video or a text, or with a report form you build yourself.

Can we reuse the news from the council website?

Yes. A WordPress site or an RSS feed connects to the app, and the news shows up with no retyping.

Does the app carry the town’s name and crest?

Yes. It carries the town’s name, logo and colours, and can be linked to its own domain name.