Stay Informed

How do I stay informed about important things happening in Town?
The Town uses a variety of communication tools to keep residents informed: Town website, email alerts, social media, blue lights, electronic signage on roadways, and emergency phone calls.

Communication System

I. Emergency Phone Call System: The Town uses Smart911 for emergency or time sensitive phone calls. Residents are not automatically registered to this list and must manually sign up. Sign Up Here Communication System to ensure you receive these calls. 

Examples of use: Hurricane evacuation, public safety threat, boil water notice, and recently used for the trash strike service updates. 

II. MBTS Alerts: Used for emergency or time sensitive emails and texts. This alert is also posted to the home page of the website. Subscribe Here.

Examples of use: Winter parking bans, beach closures, water main breaks, trash delays, and more. 

III.  Non-Emergency News and Events: Subscribe to the MBTS Newsflash and The Tide Weekly Newsletter.

• MBTS Newsflash:  An email notification about special Town events and non-emergency news happening in Manchester. Also posted to the home page of the website.  Subscribe Here       
• The Tide Weekly Newsletter:  The Tide is a one-page weekly news update from the Town sent each Friday via email/text to subscribers. Each issue features the most current news from Town Hall. Subscribe Here            . Subscribing to The Tide is a great way to stay informed!

Need Assistance Registering? If you need help registering for any of these lists, please fill out this form and we can assist you. 

The Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea will not share any resident subscription information with a third party. All information shared is kept confidential. 

Other Communications

Social Media Platforms: Follow us on Facebook @TownofMBTSOfficial, Instagram @TownofMBTS, X @TownofMBTS and YouTube @manchester-by-the-sea. Updated daily!

Meeting Participation: Most public meetings are conducted in a hybrid format which gives residents the choice of participating in-person or via Zoom. Recordings for elected board meetings and special forums are archived on the Town website in the Agenda Center and on the Town's YouTube Account. You can subscribe to receive agendas for any committee or board here Version OptionsStay InformedHeadline. 

Blue Lights: Blue emergency lights are placed at select intersections throughout Town. These lights are turned on during extreme weather emergencies (ie. snow storms). When the blue lights are on, street parking is prohibited to allowed for DPW to safely clear roadways. 

Blue lights are located at the following intersections:

• Intersection of Central St. and School St. 
• Intersection of Summer St. and Forest St. (by the pickleball courts)
• Intersection of Summer St. and Lincoln St.
• Intersection of Pine St. and Pleasant St.
• Intersection of School St. and Pleasant St.
• Intersection of Bridge St. and Harbor St.