Snowstorm leads to paperless city council debate

It can be a little surprising when inspiration strikes. It is widely believed that an apple hitting Sir Isaac Newton on the head led to the theory of gravity. Now, according to a report out of Niagara, New York, a snowstorm has opened the door for a paperless city council.

Last week, Alderman Sue Ellen Merritt brought up the issue of going paperless during a meeting after an experience changed her way of thinking. Originally expressing doubts about an electronic document sharing system, Merritt was enlightened during a recent snowstorm that slowed mail delivery. A member of the township "risked their life" to deliver her agenda package.

This caused her to reopen the debate about purchasing iPads and going paperless since everything can be delivered electronically. Mayor Doug Joyner backed Merritt's plan.

Alderman Lou Di Leonardo said he has never been one for technology but does acknowledge the amount of waste and staff time spent printing agenda packages, which can be dozens of pages long. He added that he is willing to learn how to use a tablet to cut down on the paper usage.

"I don't even know what Twitter is," Di Leonardo told Niagara This Week. "I'm tired of all the paper."

While there were security concerns expressed, proper management of the devices can keep any issues in check. Additionally, the benefits of saved staff time that was spent photocopying and preparing each agenda package as well as the cost of paper, are too great to ignore.

With the help of a document scanning and management service, any company can start taking advantage of a paperless approach and shift into the digital world.

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