City Commissioner Jeanna Mastrodicasa received an iPad from the city a little more than a year ago and is still giddy about it.
"I very much like it," Mastrodicasa said, laughing. "It saves money for the city, and I think it also helps us in our meetings."
However, with elections for the City Commission on Tuesday, two current city commissioners will be out of office this year. This means their city-paid-for iPads will have to be returned to the city or purchased for a discounted price.
The city bought the iPads for the seven city commissioners, the city manager and the city attorney.
If turned back into the city, the iPad's memory will be erased, and the device will be given to an incoming commissioner. If a commissioner chooses to purchase it, it will cost him or her about $200, which will go into a fund for buying new iPads.
Becky Rountree, the city's director of administrative services, said the devices were bought with the savings the city obtained by going paperless.
The city paid $499 for each iPad a little more than a year ago, which Rountree said was much less than it would cost to print all the documents that go through City Hall.
She said it cost $785 a year to print the agendas for each commission meeting. The city saved about $5,500 a year in paper and ink by switching to the devices.
Rountree said the savings are substantial when you factor in the time it took city employees to organize, file and bind the agendas.
Given her options, Mastrodicasa said she would most likely purchase her iPad from the city at the end of her term in a few months.
"I actually don't use it much for personal use now," Mastrodicasa said. "But I have two small children, and everyone tells me they'll love to play with it."
