The Town of Petrolia has found a new way for residents to connect with the municipality.
TextMyGov launched recently and is a way for residents to get information from the town 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It is a two-way communication tool, with the ability to respond to questions and send alerts, if needed.
Director of Marketing, Arts, and Communications Laurissa Ellsworth said the decision to create this was made because the world is becoming more of a 24 hour information highway.
"We're not always here when those questions are being asked and things like websites and social media can do some, but if you can text and get a quick answer that's usually all the person needs. So it's for efficiency. It's to always have that voice and to be able to get the facts and actual data on an issue before the next work day," she said.
This is a service the town pays for annually and there will be no user fee.
"They send us 'hi' and it initiates a conversation where we ask them 'are you opting in to talk to us?' about whatever issue it is and they say 'yes' and they usually ask for a keyword, like compost for example and they can get down right to the nitty gritty and find out the full details," Ellsworth said.
Another way to use the service is on the Town of Petrolia's website, where you can ask your question in the widget in the bottom right corner.
Ellsworth said it's been in the works over the last few weeks.
"We thought it was just a great way to always have that open door for people that we serve as a community and even to visitors," she said. "If a visitor wants to buy a theatre ticket they can text us and buy a theatre ticket, so we thought that was a pretty neat way to further that engagement," she said.
Residents will have the option to opt-in and opt-out of the service and alerts will only be received for emergencies.
The phone number for the service is 289-769-9799.