Ladysmith council is saying good-bye to shuffling paper.
According to a media release from city hall, the Town expects to save more than 50,000 sheets of paper each year by switching to paperless council agendas.
Citing a commitment to sustainability, Ladysmith is replacing often lengthy paper-based meeting documents with digital versions, which can be accessed at a Council meeting through a secure Microsoft Cloud-based platform called eScribe.
“The Remuneration Committee recommended last fall that the mayor and each councillor receive a tablet for the 2018-2022 term,” the new release states. “In the near future, if you’re attending a council meeting or watching it from the comfort of your home, you’ll see council members referencing their tablets for agenda material.”
“Councillors will also be able to add comments and follow up notes using their tablets in the same way they would with a hard copy version.
“In addition to the environmental benefits, using this trusted Canadian-based Cloud application for our agendas is an extra layer of protection in the case of a natural disaster.”
A limited quantity of printed agenda packages will still be made available to members of the public at council and municipal services committee meetings.