Paperless post

A partnership that is expected to reduce or eliminate administrative paper use by the city of Austin is getting underway with a public feedback process that looks at how local government relies on paper, and how its services and operations can be better delivered. The Austin Tech Alliance is the main driver behind the new “paper census” program, which will use a proprietary technology to combine resident feedback and artificial intelligence and gain insights into how residents and city departments interact. The feedback is open through March 23 at Papercensus.org. ATA representatives will also gather input in person at community events in the coming weeks. In addition, those who would like to participate can text their feedback to 806-680-6802. The move to eliminate or drastically reduce the city’s use of paper is a component of the Smart Austin Strategic Roadmap that was approved by City Council last year. Once processes that can be improved and streamlined are compiled after the census, city managers will assess them based on cost, impact to residents, potential savings and potential for volunteers from the tech community to contribute to the process.