The value proposition of C3 has been that it utilizes patented technology to get us information that is local, relevant and timely to computers and cell phones. We are paying premium because it's worth it, we are told.
Yet in the April 22 Public Meeting at Borough Hall, Councilman McQuade asked why messages directed to his cell phone were not received in a timely manner. When the answers were unacceptable, the councilman pressed on. That persistence was met with the mayor's gavel.
In recent months C3 has added Twitter feeds to Dumont's website. We see how reliable that service is.
In recent months a new service has emerged that promises what C3 offers, at no cost to municipalities. Our neighbor in Oradell recently adopted it. This is what their Oradell's alert screen looks like. Now compare that with Dumont's alert screen. One would expect the free service to look cluttered and less polished, but that distinction appears to fall on C3's $1500 monthly service.
I brought this to the governing body's attention and merely asked them to look into it. Though the mayor said they would, I doubt it. Why not? Others may start asking why we are paying for a product others are getting for free.
It seems distracting that this ugly cloud continues to hang over the web contractor and their client municipalities.
