News 12 at 6 o'clock, October 7, 2009

AUGUSTA---The city of Augusta's Human Resources department is going paperless. It's a move expected to cost--and save--thousands.

Kevin Morris is applying for a job with the city of Augusta.

"It is hard right now," said Kevin. "The economy is so messed up. You got to go through this and that."

Check one thing off the list. The jobs are now on-line through a program called NeoGov.

"It means you don't have to come down to us and manually pick up and fill out an application," said worker Victoria Biascoechea. "You do it one time and it's there."

"It makes it a whole lot easier if you have access to a computer," noted Kevin.

The NeoGov program comes at a cost of about $15,000 for the city. Keep in mind the office receives about 500 to 1,000 applications a week. The city expects a cost savings of about $4.00 per application.

"It is definitely a cost savings to the taxpayer," said employment manager Moses McCauley.

Not to mention "saving on gas," said Kevin.

"It makes it convenient for citizens to apply for jobs on-line," said Moses.

The program has been up and running for about two weeks. Organizers insist it will pay for itself within months. You can register online at augustaga.gov.

At last check, there were at least 8 open positions that ranged from $20,000 to $27,000.