iPads to Bring Paperless Meetings to Selectmen, Planning Commission

Selectmen and Community Planning Commission members are getting what may be on the Christmas lists of many adults and children.

Beginning in January, the Board of Selectmen and Community Planning Commission will begin using iPads to view their meeting materials, saving the town from printing large packets of information prior to each session.

Town Administrator Greg Balukonis told selectmen on Monday night that all meeting information will be transmitted electronically to selectmen and Community Planning Commission members beginning in January. They will download the materials to the tablet computers to view during meetings.

"I'm optimistic that it will work out quite well," Balukonis told Patch in an interview after the meeting. "It's a relatively inexpensive solution, and it gives the board a lot more information quickly, instead of having all this paper to sort through."

The iPads were purchased through a state grant, meaning no town funds were used to purchase the equipment, Balukonis said. The total purchase will cost around $9,500, he said.

The town will save money on the cost of printing materials, collating them and delivering them to the members' homes, Balukonis said. He was uncertain of the overall cost savings, although he noted that staff spend two to three hours a week assembling the meeting packets and delivering them to members.

Balukonis said he will prepare a cost-savings analysis and report back to the Board of Selectmen at a later meeting.

The iPads are covered by the town policy governing computer use, Balukonis said. 

All materials downloaded onto the computers would fall under the state open meetings and open records laws, Balukonis added. Ultimately he envisions posting the agenda documents online, with the exception of materials from executive session, he said.

"We will have a plethora of information to give to the public," Balukonis said. "We certainly want to create an understanding that people have an opportunity to look at this material."