Indiana's largest town moves fast — and its communication strategy has to keep up. The Town of Merrillville (pop. ~36,000) serves a daytime population that swells past 100,000, making timely, reliable resident communication essential. After outgrowing an outdated notification system, Merrillville partnered with GOGov to launch My Merrillville, a branded citizen notifications mobile app that delivers real-time updates directly to residents and visitors. Here's how they made it happen.

About Merrillville, IN

Located in Northwest Indiana near the Chicagoland area, the Town of Merrillville is a vibrant and highly active community known as the "Heart of the Region." With a population of approximately 36,000 residents, Merrillville holds the distinction of being the largest town in Indiana. Its central location makes it a hub for shopping, dining, employment, and regional activity, drawing a significant number of visitors each day. As a result, Merrillville's daytime population often exceeds 100,000, creating a fast-paced environment where staying connected with residents and visitors alike is essential.

The Challenge

Before implementing a new solution, Merrillville relied on an older digital notification service through their former website. The system often fell short — residents had difficulty signing up, technical issues were common, and it simply didn't meet the town's communication needs. While exploring alternatives, Council Vice President Rhonda Neal came across GOGov's notification system and shared it with the team. The town quickly recognized how user-friendly and reliable the platform was, both for residents and municipal staff. After presenting GOGov to the full town council, they received immediate support, setting the stage for a smooth transition to a more effective digital communications solution.

The Solution: My Merrillville

Merrillville turned to GOGov's Citizen Notifications to streamline communications and keep residents informed in real time. The town uses the platform for a wide range of updates — from emergency alerts like water main breaks, road closures, and fire incidents, to community announcements, meeting notices, and monthly police statistics. By putting important information directly into the hands of residents through the My Merrillville app, the town ensures that the community has easy access to the updates that matter most.

The rollout has also been a hit internally. Department heads quickly recognized the app's value, frequently asking, "Can we get this on the app?" whenever new information needed to reach the public. This immediate engagement highlighted both the platform's ease of use and the town's commitment to keeping residents informed.

"Early on, and even now, department heads would say, 'Can we get this on the app?' anytime they had something important to share. It was really cool to see how quickly they recognized the value of putting information directly into residents' hands." — Chas Reilly, Media Officer

Impact & Success

Since implementing My Merrillville, the town has seen real-world impact in keeping residents informed and engaged. One standout example came during an early fall snowstorm in 2025, when many staff were working from home and residents needed timely updates on road conditions, closures, and accidents. Using the app, Merrillville was able to provide continuous, real-time updates throughout the day. Residents not only received the information directly but also shared screenshots of notifications in local community groups on social media — essentially spreading the word organically and encouraging others to download the app.

"Even beyond our official channels, people were taking screenshots of notifications and sharing them in community groups. It was really neat to see residents helping each other stay informed, and it showed just how well the app was working." — Chas Reilly, Media Officer

The town also tracks user engagement and has received consistent feedback at council meetings, where residents reference app notifications and request additional information. This level of active participation reflects both the effectiveness of My Merrillville and the community's trust in the platform as a reliable source of local updates.

Future Plans

Looking ahead, Merrillville is focusing on improving resident access to information and expanding community engagement. The town is transitioning to a new website design that will be easier for residents to navigate, and My Merrillville will play a key role in communicating updates about the website launch and other important initiatives.

Additionally, Merrillville is putting a strong emphasis on community events. With a new Events Manager on board, the town is planning a variety of programs designed to engage both residents and visitors. My Merrillville will help ensure the community knows what's happening, how to register, and any other important details, providing a reliable and convenient way to keep everyone informed.

Advice to Other Municipalities

Chas Reilly recommends that even municipalities with existing digital notification systems seriously consider GOGov. "The ease of it makes everything a lot simpler for residents," he says. "Instead of navigating multiple sign-ups on a website, residents can simply download the app and receive notifications directly. It's straightforward, efficient, and really improves how a community shares important information." For Merrillville, GOGov has proven to be a user-friendly solution that benefits both staff and residents alike.

Your Municipality Powered by GOGov

GOGov is committed to helping municipalities and local governments enhance community engagement, streamline operations, and foster transparent communication. Our partnership with Merrillville demonstrates the potential of our solutions to make a meaningful impact on local governments and districts of all sizes.

GOGov specializes in providing CRM, Code Enforcement, Citizen Notifications, Online Permitting and mobile software to local governments of all sizes. We built our software from the ground up working with the departments and staff that now use our products every single day.

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