Plain City residents have a new central hub for information regarding the village – an app.
Police Chief Dale McKee said the village officially launched a free mobile app Monday.
McKee said the app will be a reliable source of up-to-date information about Plain City happenings.
“We just want to get accurate information to people,” he said. “Sometimes the information put on Facebook or other forums isn’t accurate.”
The app is split into three separate sections: community, police department and social media.
It includes information from nearly every department in the village, aside from the Fire Department, according to McKee.
The community tab includes contact information for various Plain City departments, information about Village Council members and meetings, a link to the parks and recreation website and a link to pay utility bills online.
There is also a community feedback option that allows app users to “commend an employee” or submit comments or complaints.
The police department section allows residents to view “current laws, ordinances, curfew regulations, reports and road closures,” McKee explained.
It also has upcoming news and events, a feature to submit a tip and a list of police services.
Lastly, the social media tab features a current stream of the village’s official Facebook and Twitter posts.
Although the app does integrate social media, village officials hope the app will be an additional and alternative source of information for residents.
“Many people avoid social media altogether, while others choose many of the other platforms that Plain City does not yet use,” a statement from the village reads.
According to the Plain City website, residents can also enable push notifications through app. Users will then be notified of alerts and announcements by village.
While the app is new, McKee said it has been received well by those who are already using it.
“We’ve had very positive comments so far… I haven’t heard anything negative, but it’s brand new so we’re still waiting on people to download it,” he said.
McKee said the village began developing the app approximately six to seven months ago in an effort to reach residents more easily.
“As the village strives to improve communication and customer service, we believe that (the app) will assist residents with access to pertinent information and will increase ease of communication,” information on the village website states.
The app was developed by a private mobile app development company called OCV, LLC.
OCV, which is based out of Alabama, specializes in creating apps for law enforcement, public safety, emergency management and public health agencies.
Residents can download the app by searching for “Village of Plain City” on the App Store or Google Play.