Before he was elected, Mayor George Evans promised to find ways to cut expenses and make city government more cost-effective.

He inherited a mess. With the passage of the bond issue, city government has seen some daylight.

On Thursday the Selma City Council returned the 12.5 percent pay cut to city workers and themselves.

But key to this meeting was a proposal worked on by Evans and a committee to cut the wasteful spending of copy machines. Evans and his committee had examined the city’s usage of the machines. They called in Ricoh, a company based in Birmingham, which had a native son on board.

The representatives from Ricoh proposed a way to streamline the number of printers in the city and increase technology.

A study conducted by Ricoh showed the city had 115 printers and 42 different models in the city.

The city pays $2,600 for black and white printing, about $2,500 for color printing and outsources another $700.

Ricoh recommended 82 fewer devices, replacing them with multifunctional machines that will accomplish a variety of tasks.

The proposed contract also includes service and supplies.

The proposal: $3,681.

The cost savings per month: $2,400.

That’s good. That’s fulfilling a promise.