'Green' Legislation Targets Paper Budget at City Hall

An effort to streamline Stow City Council operations gained a sharper focus Monday as council members considered the proposed 10 percent annual cut in city office supplies.

Council members discussed Councilman Mike Rasor's proposed Transparency and Green Savings Act, which proposes to eliminate all paper communication between council and city adminstrators by using electronic devices, such as a tablet or laptop, instead of stapled paper memos.

During Monday's talks, John Earle, Stow's director of budget and management, asked about Rasor's proposed five-year, 10 percent yearly cut in the city's general office supply budget that's included in the legislation.

Earle said the office supply budget includes a wide range of items from pens and markers to tape and paper clips.

"I think you’re talking specifically copies, so that’s probably what should be addressed is paper used for copies," Earle said.

Rasor agreed that he doesn't think the proposed legislation should make too broad a cut. He pointed to a citywide expense of $43,000 in 2012 on copy and printer paper as his target.

"This is the specific spending I want to attack," he said.

The overall legislation has support among council members and city administrators alike.

Stow Mayor Sara Drew said the legislation would work well with planned wireless network upgrades at city hall.

"We absolutely think that this is a great initiative," Drew said. "It’s something we’ve already been working towards in many ways in the administration.

"There are some things we could do in the future with things that are in the works, and there are other things we might be able to achieve if we have the technological infrastructure and necessary investment to make that happen," she said.

At the earliest, the proposed legislation could see a final vote in April. The paperless policies would not take effect until January 2014.