Rep. Tom Brunner (R-29/Nisland) has two measures to reduce local governments’ obligation to spend money on newspaper notices. His House Bill 1142 uses a potentially complicated formula based on reported newspaper circulation to allow some jurisdictions to switch to online posting of minutes, bids, and other required public notices.
Brunner’s House Bill 1141 is more straightforward: town councils that serve fewer than 1,000 residents and school boards that serve fewer than 600 students can lower their newspaper bills and publish official documents exclusively online.
According to last fall’s enrollment figures, that’s 109 of our 149 school districts serving 30,000-some out of South Dakota’s 134,000 students who could drop their newspaper bills. I don’t know how many of our tiny towns have councils, but I can tell you that maybe 64 South Dakota towns have a population greater than 1,000, while 200-plus identifiable burgs have fewer than 1,000 people.
Rep. Brunner applies the same requirements to this small-town exemption as he does in his small-circulation bill: councils and boards opting to publish exclusively online still have to put notices in the paper at least twice a year advertising their official websites, must provide copies of official documents to the papers and to any requesting resident free of charge, and must have a library or other site available with free Internet access for folks who want to read the documents.
Long over due. The Newspaper Industry is on a total decline. More people get news from smartphones.
Cory I would get a amendment to the law tht Dakota Free Press is the official publication for all South Daktoa official notices
You know, Sam@, that would be illegal, a “special law” granting a privilege to a specific business. But I will offer my services to any interested city councils and school boards for a competitive rate.
Oh, heck, but when Brunner and his fellow Republicans realize HB 1141 and its companion are opportunities for Dakota Free Press to make money, they’ll have Brunner withdraw this bill! :-D
Keep pounding nails in the coffins of the newsprintmen. They will rue all the bogus, partisan, editorializing they have done for years. If only they had been unbiased reporters…
This just sounds like a way to loose another small town business. So then the town turns around and spends money trying to recruit somebody to open a business in that vacant former newspaper storefront.
I know it would be illegal. Legality dos not seem to b a issue when the ePub Lucan s want to do soemthing
BAH. Newspapers are dead already. The blogging and the twitter killed them all.
Of course, Scott, what’s the newspaper doing taking up a storefront, anyway? One can publish an e-paper from a laptop at the c-store.
With zoning issues too often people:
Didn’t see the notice in the paper. (don’t get the paper)
Didn’t see the sign posted on the property.
Didn’t get the postcard.
Didn’t see it on the website.
Nobody told them.
Therefore it should never have been approved.
I say this with a smile but it happens often.
You know what would make me smile, Jeff? Skywriting. Or how about leaflets (on biodegradable paper, in locally produced soy ink) dropped by Five O’Clock Charlie from a crop duster?
In Madison, they are attempting to rezone two lots across from the DSU campus on North Egan avenue. A company from Brookings (where else?) is looking to build two apartment buildings with loads of efficiency apartments. Small, but bright orange, signs on stakes were stuck on the two lots indicating the intention to rezone the properties and the scheduled meeting time. I didn’t see any sort of public notice in the Daily Leader since I normally don’t read public notices, but I did notice the bright orange signs while out on my daily walk.
The zoning issue in Madison has received a little more attention since the proposed apartments are right in the Historic District near DSU. Neighbors obviously want the apartments to respect the historical nature of the area among other concerns. It made the front page of the Daily Leader at least so for those who subscribe, like me, we could actually read up on why people are voicing concern over this apartment project. Then again, KJAM had this story on their news breaks and their own website too.
With public attention splintering, should we consider requiring local governments to publish both in print and online?