City considers benefits of paperless council meetings

Yet another city is contemplating the advantages of taking its council meetings digital. Red Bluff, Calif., Councilman Rob Schmid made the suggestion at the city's recent council meetings, noting that the idea came to him when discarding nearly two years worth of meeting agendas and minutes, according to the Red Bluff Daily News.

Taking meetings paperless would be a beneficial move for any city. The integration of paper conversion services can help migrate archived meeting minutes and other relevant paperwork to digital formats, while an investment into high-quality scanning hardware will help ensure no new paperwork is produced.

According to the news source, Schmid notes that the city council would need to invest in Wi-Fi service for the city hall, and raised the question of whether the city should invest in tablets for each council member would be wise.

Even with such technology costs, the move to paperless can save cities significantly on their meeting budgets, allowing them to reallocate funds to more critical areas, such as city infrastructure or other public services. Furthermore, digital information will be easier to make accessible to the public, increasing visibility and improving public engagement to promote strong community involvement in city operations.

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