Little Silver to Say Goodbye to Paper Newsletter

residents will receive their updates from the borough through their inboxes instead of their mailboxes later this year.

Officials agreed at the July 9 council meeting to forgo the onerous task of producing quarterly newsletters that are mailed to residents and instead send e-mail versions on a monthly basis. The final paper version will arrive in September.

"We need to eliminate the burden," said Councilman Don Galante of the familiar blue and white newsletter that arrived in mailboxes every month up until 2010, when the borough scaled back to quarterly issues.

The borough also will send businesses and residents a yearly calendar that will provide pertinent information — such as recycling dates and details and important phone numbers — throughout.

Recognizing that not all residents are Internet savvy, printed versions of the monthly update will be made available at borough hall, and the

The borough uses the Two River Alert System to get urgent information to residents — who have signed up for the service — by text and e-mail.

According to Linda Goff, who's been the editor of the Little Silver newsletter for more than 20 years, the paper editions cost about $1,180 per issue and required not only a two-week lead time for printing but also had to be folded for mailing. Then there was the issue of making sure advertisers paid in a timely manner and following up on overdue payments, which added to Goff's work load.

While officials agreed to give the electronic newsletters a try, Mayor Robert C. Neff, Jr. and Councilman Dane Mihlon were reluctant at first to do away with the traditional format until it was agreed that the printed version would be provided at some locations.

"I just think that people are going to miss posting it on their bulletin boards," said Neff. "I don't think we're so saturated with technology that everyone's going to get (the newsletter)."

But Councilman Dan O'Hern said, "You have to start stretching technology."

He added, "I think we have to go in either direction."