Central services report shows high toner and postage use; board discusses printer consolidation

Central services staff presented August usage and expense figures at the Sept. 5 IT and Central Services meeting in Room 250 and board members discussed efforts to reduce costs by consolidating printers across county offices.

Tracy, a central services staff member, told the committee the office processed 31,604 microfilm documents, scanned 56,432 images and recorded 1,140 processed feet for August. Monthly bills totaled $35,517.72; reimbursements to the general fund were $1,937.41. Central services postage was $8,403.79, and downtown circuit clerk postage was $2,378.11; county clerk postage and regional office of education postage were $32.24 and $194.57, respectively. Tracy said total toner usage was 12,040 units with a usage-value of $12,486.15 and total toner purchases of $13,471.21.

The numbers prompted questions about excess printers and toner compatibility. A board member asked whether staff have succeeded in getting departments to standardize equipment to avoid unused cartridges. Tracy said departments and elected officials often resist having fewer printers in their offices and that, as an appointed official, she cannot force elected officials to reduce devices. "That's a magical question we've been trying to come up with for 10 years," she said. "I can't dictate — I'd love to be able to dictate to the department. So they're like, no. ... We do try to get like models, so we limit the different types of toners we do need."

Tracy said central services attempts to reuse functioning printers removed from offices: when a department replaces a printer, the office sometimes holds the replaced device for other county needs, such as a maintenance garage. She also said she can run vendor reports again to identify devices that could be removed; a board member requested a list of excess printers for follow-up. "I have a list of all the printers because I've taken care of the inventory," a staff speaker added.

Motion and procedural actions: a motion by Brian, second by Kendra, was recorded to place the August central services report on file; the committee voted in favor and the motion carried.

Why it matters: toner and postage are recurring operating costs; identifying excess devices and standardizing models could reduce recurring expenses and stock redundancies. The committee did not adopt a formal consolidation policy; Tracy said further vendor reports and department buy-in would be needed before any reductions took place.

The meeting also included routine approval of minutes and bills for central services; both motions were approved by voice vote.