The tablet trend continues as more and more government, education, and private entities switch to tablets such as the iPad to allow employees to access information more conveniently. This time, it’s the Pulaski County Commissioners who are seeking to employ iPads to assist them with their duties.
Commission President Tracey Shorter approached the county council at their meeting this week requesting the purchase of iPads from Venture Wireless to help them work more efficiently. Shorter said it is hard to keep up with the information that is provided in their information packets, and that inconvenience translated to a loss for the county when the commissioners approved the purchase of a new truck for the sheriff’s department before reviewing the bids. Consequently, the commissioners spent more money on a Chevrolet model from Braun Chevrolet than they would have if they had gone with a different bid for a Ford model from Jim Dobson Ford.
Shorter said these kind of situations could be avoided, along with other mistakes, if the commissioners were able to receive electronic copies of the documents on the Fridays before their meeting, allowing them to review the information over the weekend prior to their regular meetings. Auditor Shelia Garling said this would be a bit more work, but she can do this now and email the information to all the commissioners for review.
The appropriation for the requested purchase, which consists of four 64GB iPads along with activation and insurance for the commissioners and the county attorney, was approved for advertisement. The council will have to discuss the matter again in February and decide whether or not to go ahead with the purchase.
