Derry taxpayers, were you aware that your town council members are considering buying iPads for themselves with your money?

Well, they are.

Town Administrator John Anderson told councilors last month, “This is certainly something we can make happen if you want. It would cost a little over $3,000, you would have access for the meetings, and you would have your agendas and email on them.”

Wow. Access to agendas and email. For only $3,000 in taxpayer money!

Supposedly this expense would save money in the long run as council members would not have to print any documents. They could simply read them on the iPads. There are a few problems with this theory.

Do council members not have their own portable electronic devices capable of storing documents and sending and receiving emails?

Has anyone done the math to see how much money the town spends on printing documents for council members and how long it would take for the iPads to pay for themselves?

What if a councilor drops or loses an iPad? Who pays for it?

Could some public-spirited company not donate iPads or laptops to the town?

Would used laptops not work just as well as new iPads for reading pdf files and exchanging emails?

Buying new iPads for councilors does not seem to be in the best interests of the Derry taxpayers.