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Home | Environment | City Energy Conservation | Finance Energy Reduction
Taking the lead from Finance, City Council went paperless in 2012. City Council agendas are no longer printed; instead, they are provided electronically. This reduced paper costs significantly as 22 packets, sometimes hundreds of pages each, are no longer printed.
Additionally, the City Clerk’s Office creates electronic copies of packets for the Special Permits and Licensing Board and now combines business license renewal documentation for one corporation (who may have multiple licenses and locations in the city) into one packet, reducing production and postage costs.
The Sales Tax Division has introduced a paperless option for businesses to file sales tax returns with the city. Over the years, staff has seen a slow, steady increase in electronic filing, with 16 percent of accounts using electronic filing. This also means the city no longer prints and mails returns to taxpayers, saving paper, printing, envelopes and postage totaling about $5,100 in 2012. Electronic filing also means more accuracy and no lost payments in the mail. Less paper consumption, so less energy used.