Kandiyohi County Board goes paperless

WILLMAR - The Kandiyohi County Commissioners took the plunge Tuesday into going paperless.
Electronic notepads replaced the usual thick stack of papers at each commissioner’s place at the boardroom table.
Board members eased into their new technoworld with a Human Services Committee meeting Tuesday morning, followed by the official County Board meeting.
There was some occasional fumbling but no major hitches. Two members of the county IT staff were on hand to provide guidance and troubleshooting.
Commissioner Roger Imdieke, chairman of the Human Services Committee, proceeded smoothly through the committee agenda, although at one point he told his fellow commissioners, “I’m just going by what this technology tells us.”
Jim Butterfield, chairman of the County Board, prefaced the formal board meeting with a reminder that the commissioners were “on new ground.”
With repetition and practice over the next few weeks, “we’ll have ’er down,” he promised.
The County Board joins the growing number of local government bodies - among them the Willmar City Council, Willmar School Board, the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission and the Rice Memorial Hospital board of directors - that have made the leap to paperless or are in the process of doing so.
The commissioners have had electronic tablets for about a year but, until now, “they haven’t cut the cord,” said Larry Kleindl, county administrator.
Although the County Board probably won’t be able to go completely paperless, the technology will help cut down considerably on the amount of paper used for board business, he said.