La Grange Park Considers iPads for Trustees in Effort to Go Paperless

In an effort to use less paper and save money, are considering taking a step into the 21st century.

At a Nov. 8 Village Board Workshop meeting, trustees discussed the possibility of moving towards a paperless agenda by purchasing iPads for use by trustees and village staff. According to research by village staff, moving to a paperless agenda could yield savings of a little over $9,000 in the next three years.

Jeff Pieta, owner of (AIS), brought in an iPad to show off to trustees, some of whom said they felt uncomfortable about learning the new technology. Pieta said that he was recommending iPads for trustees over laptops, because they were easier to learn, they would not take up as much desk space and were cheaper than the average laptop computer.

"I think the iPad is really the best choice," Pieta said.

Trustees generally said they felt favorably about moving towards using iPads instead of receiving bound, paper agendas, but did have reservations. In particular, trustees worried about security on the iPads and about access to Wi-Fi networks.

Pieta said that each iPad can have a pin number that trustees would enter before any information could be accessed and that, in general, the agendas would be stored online and not on the iPad. Trustees could download their agendas for storage on the tablet's desktop for review when they were not connected to Wi-Fi networks.

Although the initial investment would be high, cost and time savings would be seen, Village Manager Julia Cedillo told board members. Currently the village spends about $12,400 a year on printing and binding agenda packets for trustees. The expected cost for the first year of the program would be higher, at nearly $14,700. But over the next two years, going paperless would save almost half of the current rate, ending with a little over $9,000 in savings over three years. If the iPads were still functioning well after 4 years another $6000 would be saved. iPads have a standard lifespan of three to five years, Pieta said.

Trustees made no final decision at the meeting and indicated they would like to spend some time with an iPad before making a final decision. Pieta said AIS would be able to loan the village an iPad for trustees to share.