Mayor Bruce Whale began the council meeting on Feb. 14 by telling people in the gallery they would witness history that night.
It was the first council meeting where everyone at the table was using a laptop computer. The issue was debated for a long time before Mapleton council decided to go “paperless” with its agenda.
Whale said councillors unfamiliar with the machinery had done some training over the previous few days and, “We’re going to try it. Everybody is ready to go.”
Councillors appeared to get along reasonably well with the new machines. Councillor Neil Driscoll said he did struggle a few times when pages seemed to disappear and he lamented he could no longer use “sticky notes” to mark off areas where he has questions.
Because the meeting fell on Valentine’s Day, Whale also announced he had brought some chocolates and if council finished its the public portion of the meeting by 10pm, everyone was welcome to try them. He also quipped if the meeting ran late, “I’ll take them home.”
The meeting finished on time; the treats were popular.
