VANCOUVER --A Vancouver City Council member was hoping going green would save taxpayers some green, using iPads to save money and time.
The city printed about 120,000 pages last year. Since the council has start using the tablets, it has cut down on paper use by 40 percent.
For council member Jack Burkman, carrying packets of papers is a thing of the past.
“I have files and files of stacks of paper," Burkman said. "I can't find anything, so if people ask me something, I struggle. Now I can just search it on the computer.”
And it's not just any computer; it's a new iPad. He bought one for himself and loved it so much, he pitched the idea to the city.
“You take a stack of full, colored, double-sided paper, you're talking a lot of money,” Burkman said.
The packets that members use at every meeting cost about $200 each to print, and the council meets 50 times a year.
Switching to digital will also save time.
“First and foremost: You don't have someone printing it out," council member Bart Hansen said. "So that's a job Vancouver's doing on a weekly basis, printing all these packets.”
Hansen said he rides the bus every day and the iPad helps him carry around more information.
“I can pop it right in the backpack instead of carrying a bunch of binders and papers," he said. "Our council packets used to be really thick ,so reducing all that paper is that way to go."
Vancouver has bought 54 iPads for council members, police command staff and department heads. Some members are still getting used to the gadgets, but they're willing to try the touch screen tablet.
“Some are more comfy than others," Buckman said. "All of them are intrigued with the idea that we can cut city expenses.”
The iPads cost a total of about $32,000.
