OTTUMWA —
Ottumwans watching the City Council meeting on TV Tuesday night may have noticed the councilmen with a new accessory.
City Administrator Joe Helfenberger said each of the five councilmen and the mayor now have their own Samsung Android tablet through U.S. Cellular.
The tablets totaled less than $3,000, Helfenberger said, “which should be a quick payback on the paper that will be saved.” There is also a data package included with each tablet for Internet access, but the councilmen must pay for any other items themselves.
City Clerk Amanda Valent estimates switching to the tablets will save the city approximately $2,600 per year.
She said replacing the paper packets with tablets definitely makes her job easier.
“Now what I do is simply scan it all in and we use a feature called ‘Box,’ where I upload the packet and every councilman, the mayor and city administrator can go there, retrieve it and view it,” Valent said.
Helfenberger said everything on the tablets is public record and they are limited for public, not personal, use. Any personal business, such as personal email or social media, should be conducted elsewhere, he said.
“There’s quite a few cities going in this direction to save on costs and to do things quicker and more efficiently,” Helfenberger said. “It also helps the public to be able to get information quicker and cheaper.”
Local News
August 9, 2012
Councilmen equipped with tablets
Switch from paper packets will save city $2,600 per year
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