Commission eyes high-tech savings

To save money and “go green,” the City Commission will begin using Apple iPads during commission meetings.

The computer tablets will be used to view the agenda packets for each meeting and will replace the reams of paper the city used to print for each commissioner and city administrator.

Four of five commissioners, as well as the city manager, deputy city manager, city auditor and clerk and city attorney, will be receiving iPads.

Commissioner Terry Turner said he preferred to keep the paper agenda packets.

“With the documentation we get, you don’t just read it one time,” he said. “You go back and forth between pages. It’s efficient in terms of saving paper, but it’s not efficient in terms of my time.”

The iPads will cost about $800 each and will be purchased within the next week or two. They’ll be put into use in April.

City Auditor and Clerk Pamela Nadelini expects the city to save about $7,500 per year in paper and other supplies.

The city is following the lead of the County Commission, which adopted iPad use last year.

County spokeswoman Crystal Pruitt said the county, which has twice as many meetings per year as the city and longer agendas, will see a savings of about $60,000 annually.

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected]