The Paperless Council

Book excerpt: Every local government faces the question of how best to provide council members, the local government staff, and the public with information about the agenda items for the council’s next meeting. This e-book examines the “paperless council,” defined as a council that uses information technology (IT) to facilitate and enrich the process of preparing information for council meetings and making the information available to everyone involved. The Paperless Council describes various approaches that local governments have taken after considering such factors as the size, availability, and sophistication of the IT infrastructure and staffing, and the interest expressed by council members, the manager, the staff, or the public.