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• <br />• <br />• <br />IPads saving cities paper costs - USATODAY.com <br />To help counter such concerns, the Redwood City <br />Council enacted a policy on July 12 to prohibit <br />council members from receiving or sending e-mail <br />and text messages through cellphones, iPads, <br />notebooks and other devices, city spokesman <br />Malcolm Smith says. <br />After spending about $7,000 on iPads using <br />capital - improvement funds, the council expects to <br />save more than $30,000 annually in printing costs, <br />Smith says. <br />Redwood City Council members will start using <br />iPads within the next few weeks, but one council <br />member, Ian Bain, says he is refusing to take an iPad <br />and will continue to use his personal laptop. <br />"We just cut $6 million out of our budget, and the <br />city is expending some money to buy these devices <br />when we don't really need them to go digital," Bain <br />says. "I think it sends the wrong message even if it's <br />just a drop in the bucket to buy these; I just think <br />it's the wrong time to be doing it." <br />The Lynwood City Council in California chose to use <br />iPads instead of laptops because there's no need for <br />a wireless or wired connection, says Roger Haley, <br />city manager. <br />"All you would need is the AT &T signal," he says, <br />"and it's really more convenient for the City Council <br />to be able to maintain contact not only with city <br />operations, but with the residents they serve." <br />The council, which will begin using the iPads this <br />month, expects to save $6,000 annually on staff <br />time and production costs associated with paper <br />agendas. <br />Although the council has protocols in place against <br />such electronic communication during meetings, <br />- = - - .. <br />Page 2 of 2 <br />is replacing its laptops with iPads for all board <br />meetings starting this month, Superintendent <br />Frederic Ayer says. The laptops will be recycled for <br />use at schools. <br />"Having laptops in front of board members really <br />put a wall between them," he says. 'The iPads <br />function just as well ... and are a better solution." <br />Advertisement <br />Pilot 9X <br />The new travel <br />app for iPhone <br />and iPod Budd; <br />Print Powered By <br />/^)n, n_nQ_n4-i„ art- anvernment N.htm <br />Dyna <br />ics <br />11/14/2011 <br />