by TaLeiza Calloway
news@thenewsleaders.com
At their next St. Joseph City Council meeting, city officials will consider transitioning from paper meeting packets to electronic ones.
During a recent tour of the new Sauk Rapids Government Center, St. Joseph officials discovered Sauk Rapids has gone paperless with some council members using iPads to view their council packets. One council member in Sauk Rapids still prefers the paper packet.
St. Joseph City Administrator Judy Weyrens told council members Sept. 6 that the city of Farmington has also issued iPads to city officials and has saved about $4,000 on paper per year. The way it works is the packet has to be online by a certain date and time so officials can retrieve the packets.
Mayor Rick Schultz was happy to see the proposal come before the council.
“I think if it saves us money and moves us electronically where we want to be long-term, we’re better off for it,” Schultz said.
If St. Joseph moves in a similar direction, it is estimated to cost $2,500 to purchase iPads for city council members. Weyrens said she would bring back a firm number on the potential cost and check into the cost of getting wireless service in the council chambers.
“It certainly would be easier on staff for us to do electronic versus the paper,” Weyrens told council members Sept. 6.
The next council meeting is 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20 at city hall.
