Lacey Planning Commission favors Wi‑Fi only iPads for commissioners

At the Jan. 22 meeting the Lacey Planning Commission signaled a unanimous preference to replace aging commission iPads with City‑provided Wi‑Fi only devices rather than cellular‑enabled tablets or a bring‑your‑own‑device arrangement.

City staff explained the commission’s current devices are generation‑3 iPads and no longer supported. "The iPads that you all have are, generation 3 iPads, and they're no longer gonna be supported," said city staff (speaker 8). RIS staff told the city they prefer Apple devices because they are "easier to... secure and locked down" than some Windows alternatives.

Staff presented three options: replace with generation‑10 iPads with cellular data enabled; replace with Wi‑Fi only iPads (data disabled unless later requested); or allow commissioners to use their personal devices with a City email account. Several commissioners said they preferred a separate device for city email but did not want city mail on their personal devices. "I just like keeping the city of Lacey emails on its own thing," one commissioner said.

Staff said they will proceed with Wi‑Fi only iPads and can later enable a data plan for any commissioner who needs it. The commission did not take a formal roll‑call vote beyond the recorded consensus during the discussion.