No.110 Introducing a paperless meeting system to the city council

Inagi City has decided to introduce a paperless meeting system for the operation of the city council.

The Regular Session of the first meeting in 2021, scheduled to open on February 26, 2021, will be conducted in a trial format using traditional paper agenda documents and related materials. Starting from the second Regular Session scheduled to open in June 2021, we aim to fully implement a system-only approach by abolishing paper agenda documents.

The software called SideBooks that is being introduced this time is a general-purpose software that has been adopted by 261 local governments nationwide as of January this year. While the adoption in Inagi City is by no means a pioneering case, it is common for many local governments to use it either in city council meetings or in meetings of City Hall executives. In our city, we were able to implement it in both areas simultaneously.

The use of tablet computers has been introduced early in Elementary and Junior High Schools, and the GIGA School concept has begun. However, there is still a strong attachment to paper materials in the field, and there are remaining objections to digitization.

In this context, I would like to express my gratitude for the advancement of the tablet device plan that was scheduled at the Inagi City Council.

In the introduction of this system, a supplementary budget was allocated at the third regular session in September of last year, and tablet computers were distributed to all management personnel.

SideBooks implementation for paperless meetings will be utilized in the City Council's main sessions and various committees, and at City Hall, it will be used in policy meetings attended by the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Director of the Department of Education, and department heads.

This system allows users to view proposal documents and related materials in electronic data format from the distributed tablet computers, and it also has features for writing notes and inserting bookmarks, providing an experience similar to using paper.

Documents and charts are not stored on each individual's tablet computer, but rather accessed from files stored on the server. Therefore, when changing or correcting the content of materials, it is sufficient to update a single file, preventing any omissions in corrections. Additionally, in the event that a tablet computer is lost or stolen, it helps prevent data from leaking externally.

The primary purpose of these implementations is to consider environmental aspects by saving paper resources. Additionally, by eliminating the need to distribute or replace paper materials, it becomes efficient and enables contactless operations, which also helps in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Furthermore, since it allows access to the server from anywhere, it supports remote work and contributes to the promotion of work style reform.

In addition, we have also installed web conferencing system software on the deployed tablet computers, enabling communication anytime and anywhere, which is expected to be useful in disaster situations as well.

Until now, the introduction of such systems was considered a future challenge, but due to the necessity brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic last year, we have had to develop them.
The spread of infectious diseases may sometimes drastically change people's lifestyles and ways of working. It can truly be said to be a case of a blessing in disguise.

The city will continue to work on infection prevention measures, and during this time, we will also focus on improving administrative processes that can be advanced.