Minerva is a new GOGov customer that began using the platform in October 2024. Now, just 6–8 months into their journey, the village is actively navigating the rollout of their notifications app, Discover Minerva, and building momentum to engage their community with timely information and convenient services.

About the Village of Minerva, OH

Nestled in northeast Ohio, the Village of Minerva is a close-knit community of around 3,700 residents uniquely positioned across three different counties. Often described as the gateway into Appalachia, Minerva boasts a rich history rooted in the railroad, canal, and brick industries that helped shape its early development in the 1800s. Today, the village blends that historic charm with modern vibrancy—especially in its beautifully preserved downtown district, known for its brick streets and historic buildings. At the heart of community life are events like "Second Fridays," a monthly tradition where Main Street comes alive with live music, inflatables, crafts, and local vendors. The restored Roxy Theatre, originally built in the 1930s, now hosts concerts, movies, and live events in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce. With a thriving business community and a strong focus on togetherness, Minerva is a place where tradition and community spirit shine.

What was the challenge that led Minerva to GOGov?

As a small community, Minerva faced a growing communication gap with residents—especially after the loss of its local newspaper. While a regional county paper remained, it lacked the hyper-local focus the village needed to keep citizens informed and engaged. With an active event calendar and a close-knit population, the village was seeking a more direct and reliable way to share updates. At the time, they were also in the midst of launching a new website and expanding their use of social media. The missing piece? A tool that could deliver timely, targeted information straight to residents. That’s when the GOGov app caught their attention—offering exactly the kind of push notifications and communication capabilities they had been looking for. After reaching out to peer communities for recommendations, GOGov quickly emerged as the standout solution.

Minerva ultimately chose to implement Citizen Notifications adding on the SMS Texting and Voice Call feature to send out alerts to residents across multiple communication channels. In addition to notifications, they also launched a branded mobile app called “Discover Minerva”, which serves as a central hub for community news, event info, and resident resources—further strengthening their outreach efforts.

The Implementation Process with GOGov

Minerva’s implementation of the GOGov platform was fast and seamless.

“It was an extremely smooth transition,” said Finance Director Patti Willoughby. “Within a couple of weeks, everything was up and running and connected to our website.” The GOGov team handled much of the heavy lifting—uploading content, organizing photos, and helping configure the app to fit the village’s needs. “It was easy to play around with how we wanted things on the app,” Patti added. “GOGov did most of the work for us.” The simple setup and hands-on support allowed Minerva to get the app launched quickly, with minimal strain on their small staff.

How is Minerva using “Discover Minerva” in its first 6 months?

Since launching with GOGov in October 2024, Minerva has been leveraging the platform to keep residents informed about upcoming events, road closures, emergencies, and other time-sensitive updates. The app—branded locally as Discover Minerva—has already proven to be a valuable tool for the community. One of its most appreciated features is the convenience it offers, with residents now able to access important alerts and even pay their water and sewer bills, all in one place.

To build awareness and encourage adoption, the village is rolling out a dedicated promotional campaign. “Our next challenge is to let them know we have it,” said Village Administrator Greg Mytinger. “We’re starting a campaign for Discover Minerva with flyers, stand-up signs in local businesses, and a strong presence at community events and festivals.”

Early feedback from residents has been overwhelmingly positive. “They’re excited that it exists,” Mytinger added. “They’re kind of surprised that it exists since we are such a small community… but once they find out they can get updates, event info, and even pay their bills through the app, they’re thrilled.”

Future Plans & Advice for municipalities considering GOGov

Looking ahead, Minerva has set a clear goal: reach at least 50% of its population with awareness of the Discover Minerva app. One of the biggest upcoming opportunities to drive engagement will be through the village’s transition from quarterly to monthly water billing. Leaders plan to use GOGov to share timely updates, billing reminders, and important notices throughout the change.

“We think this is going to be a huge communication tool,” said Greg Mytinger, Village Administrator. “It’s going to help keep customers engaged and informed as we roll out the new billing cycle over the next year.”

For communities considering GOGov, the team in Minerva encourages taking the leap. “We kind of hesitated at first, thinking it might be too expensive or out of reach for a small village like ours,” Mytinger shared. “But once we jumped in and saw how affordable it was, we were extremely happy we did it—and we actually wish we had done it sooner.”

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 Minerva demonstrates the potential of our solutions to make a meaningful impact on local governments and districts of all sizes, and our continued efforts to improve and innovate further.  

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.

Interested in learning more? Sign up for a free demo

‍