Editorial: Legislature finds less costly option

Thursday, April 16, 1998 | 10:42 a.m.

But this appears to be a situation where legislators realized they made a costly mistake, and instead of carrying on as if everything was OK, they've come up with a reasonable solution -- leasing computers, not buying them.

The Legislature did goof when it bought $6,000 laptop computers, first used by legislators during the 1997 session. But purchasing computers for a Legislature that meets just six months every two years doesn't make much sense.

To make matters worse, after the session ended, many of the computers collected dust as legislators didn't bother to use them. For instance, a survey by the Legislature's staff this year discovered that from Jan. 8 to Feb. 23, only 31 of the 63 state legislators bothered to use their computers.

It's anticipated that leasing the computers will cost $70 a month. And if a legislator is not likely to continue using the computer once the session ends, he/she can simply turn it in and send it to another state agency. Since the 1999 Legislature is expected to last just four months, the savings through leasing could be considerable.

As many businesses know, it's not uncommon for computers to become quickly outdated. Leasing is a viable option increasingly used by businesses. The Legislature surely will do better under this arrangement than it did through purchasing.