Boardman officials make use of iPads
BOARDMAN
Residents attending township-trustee meetings will notice two new things: building improvements and iPads in the hands of officials.
The three trustees, fiscal officer, township administrator, assistant to the fiscal officer and administrative assistant were issued iPads in January, said Administrator Jason Loree.
The iPads cost about $500 each and were purchased in December as part of a pilot program, he said. Depending on the response, which Loree said has been positive so far, all department heads will be issued iPads instead of laptops.
Trustees approved a $150,000 line item for technology and building improvements in 2011, which was less than 1 percent of the total 2011 township budget of $17.1 million, Loree noted.
Less than $20,000 of that line item was used for technology such as the iPads and desktop computer upgrades in the police department with the rest used on building improvements, he said.
“Laptops cost between $500 and $600 to outfit and upgrade,” he said. The township instead decided to try the iPads because of the comparable price.
Trustees historically never have been issued any electronics, including laptops and cellphones, outside of the township building. Trustees did have offices in the government center with desktop computers but now, two of those offices are used to house fiscal and zoning records.
Loree and trustee chairman Brad Calhoun said the goal is to be paperless because the township is running out of physical space to keep the records, and to save time by cutting down on copying pages and searching for documents.
Calhoun used the example of quotes from vendors for projects.
“Those quotes can be 20 or 30 pages. ... Then we have to copy one for all four of us and use an inch-thick of paper. ... Instead, we want vendors to [send them electronically] and keep an ongoing file saved on the township’s server that we can retrieve any time,” he said.
Loree said he will audit how much the township saves in paper this year. An estimated 12 cases of paper with 5,000 sheets each was used at the township in 2011.
As a point of comparison, Amazon.com offers a case of Xerographic white copy paper with 5,000 sheets for $40, not including shipping. So, for the cost of the seven iPads — $3,500 — the township could have enough money for a full 87 cases of paper totaling 435,000 sheets.
The township government center already has a wireless network, so there is not a monthly bill for Internet service for the iPads, Loree said.
The iPads fall under the township’s computer policy, and their contents are subject to review. The township also does not pay for any applications downloaded onto the iPad; those costs are out-of-pocket to the individuals, Loree said.
The $150,000 line-item in 2011 was to be used to catch up on repairs that hadn’t been made in years, he added.
“There was an IT plan for upgrades which the township did not follow for many years. ... The building needed light renovations: paint, carpeting, roof repairs, new gutters. We’re looking at another 20 years” before more building repairs are needed, Loree said.
The government center on Market Street opened in 1992, and Trustee Thomas Costello said these are the first significant repairs to be made since then.
“In many places, wall- paper was held up with tacks. It was an embarrassment. ... All we’re trying to do is protect an asset of the community,” Costello said.
Costello said the technology and building upgrades were necessary.
“How do you say Boardman’s cutting-edge when the building hasn’t been painted or wallpapered in 20 years and we’re using everything on paper? ... We don’t want to look like we’ve fallen on hard times. We had fallen on hard times, and we’re still being careful about money and being able to pay our bills,” Costello said.