No iPads Yet for Berkeley County Council

Berkeley County Council is the latest governing body in the Lowcountry to start crunching the numbers on purchasing iPads for each council member.

Charleston County announced in March that it was launching a pilot program, looking to eventually had out the popular touch-screen tablets to council members and key administrators. A few Charleston County School Board members unsuccessfully lobbied in May to get their own iPads.

Earlier this week, Berkeley County Council was putting the finishing touches on its $54.8 million budget for 2011-12. There were a few loose ends, including Councilman Bob Call’s suggestion that the county shift some dollars toward purchasing iPads.

You can play Angry Birds, cam chat on Facetime, or watch the latest video from Beyoncé. But the appeal for elected leaders is the tablet’s efficiency.

The public typically gets a three-page agenda for any public meeting, but council members get large stacks of documents filled with details for every ordinance, annexation, or rezoning.

“I think it will save us a lot of money in postage and printing and everything else,” Call told his fellow council members.

Donnie Giacomo, Charleston County’s technology services director, says the council chairman and four key administrators are participating in the pilot program.

The iPads should be passed out to the rest of the council and a handful of other staff in August. The county will have 12 iPads total, at about $700 a piece. Giacomo said it should pay for itself within six months.

An iPad with no bells or whistles currently costs $500. Berkeley County Procurement Director John Hamer is still crunching the numbers for the total cost, and the lack of specificity led council members to delay approving the purchase for now.

“I’d like to find out the logistics and make sure its a net savings,” said Councilman Tim Callanan. “Some things look like they could save you some money, but they end up costing more money.”