PARIS — A member of the Budget Committee has suggested that the town can save money if it cuts down on printing town reports.

Don Allen told selectmen Monday that the town spends more than $3,000 to send town reports to residents. He said he thinks most residents focus on the financial reports and tax deadlines rather than other sections of the report, such as updates from town departments.

Allen said the paper reports could be phased out and the information presented online and sent via e-mail to residents. He said an alternative would have to be determined for residents who do not own or use computers. He also said that the committee is hoping to collect as many e-mail addresses as possible by June, and thinks at least 1,600 could be gathered.

“There are going to be a certain number who don’t want to give up their e-mail address for whatever reason,” Allen said. “So we need to make provisions for that.”

Allen said that one option would be to have a public computer terminal in the town office to access the information. Selectman Lloyd “Skip” Herrick said town reports would still be needed for the annual town meeting. Allen said a smaller amount could be printed for that purpose, and it could be done in-house.

Selectman Ted Kurtz questioned whether a sufficient number of residents in town would be agreeable or able to receive the reports via computer. Resident Franca Ainsworth said many residents in town are elderly and would not be able to access the report in this format because they are not familiar with computers and unable to get to the town office.

mlangeveld@sunjournal.com