Dump Public Notice in Greensboro News and Record Save Guilford County Taxpayers Money with a Local Bill for State

Triadwatch wrote a letter to the Guilford County Commissioners and is in process of contacting our North Carolina State Representatives to save the taxpayers of Guilford County on money that does not need to be sent to the state mandated under the law local papers in Greensboro News and Record, High Point Enterprise and Carolina Peacemaker. Here is the letter sent to our Guilford County Commissioners:
____________________________________________________________________________

Dear Guilford County Commissioner,

 I want to save the taxpayers of Guilford County money that does not need to be spent. This past year i did a public request for information on just how much Guilford County spent in advertisement in regards to tax delinquency and Gregory French Assistant Tax Director sent me this attachment you will find in this e mail. In the attachment the tax department under North Carolina General Statute 105-369 spent $97,949.98 with the break down of advertisement going to the Carolina Peacemaker for $7,724.80, High Point Enterprise $9,878.40 and Greensboro News and Record $80,746.78.

Talking with Mr. French he told me that the tax delinquency for Guilford County is already available on the Guilford County web site 24 hours a day and seven days a week under the area of on line tax services then search tax bills then a header called delinquent bill search.

I would like to have our Guilford County commissioners work with our state delegation to have this North Carolina General Statute repealed for Guilford County because we as a tax department already provide this information on line for all the citizens to see.

Please advise me on how we can save Guilford County taxpayers money on this issue. We have seen a lot of states all over the country propose public notice laws to save cash strapped budgets. Many of these state laws were enacted before the Internet came into existence and hopefully we can in Guilford County propose a bill to lead the state in reducing even something as small as the tax delinquency bill for our citizens.

Have a great day!

________________________________________________________________________________

 Below you will see the invoices from the three newspapers which total over $97,000. After speaking with the Guilford County  Commissioners this past week during speakers from the floor there was a rebuttal from Commissioner Coleman on that the tax department has a fee on top of their tax bill that covers this invoice. I want to say to the Commissioners and every other taxpayer in this county that i don't care if you are a tax delinquent or pay your bills on time this advertisement in the local paper is a complete waste of money anyway you look at it. This bill was first introduced in 1939 well before the Internet came into play and now we have our local tax department have this information available everyday on their web site. It is time for our State representatives to pass a bill to exempt Guilford County from N.C. State Bill 105-369

 

 

2012 tax delinquency bills for guilford county nc by

In Michigan, A New Bill Offers Many Options in Place of Publishing Legal Notices in Newspapers. Maryland could follow.

HAT TIP: LEGAL NOTICE ONLINE 

In Michigan, A New Bill Offers Many Options in Place of Publishing Legal Notices in Newspapers. Maryland could follow.

This week, Michigan State Representative Doug Geiss has introduced HB bill 4033 (full text below) which provides cities the choice of publishing notices in a prominent place in the office of the City Clerk AND one of the following ways instead forcing them to incur the cost of printing them in the newspaper:

 

• ON THE HOMEPAGE OF THE CITY'S WEBSITE UNDER A SECTION LABELED FOR LEGAL NOTICES
• ON THE HOMEPAGE OF THE WEBSITE OF THE NEWSPAPER DESIGNATED BY THE CITY AS THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION IN THE CITY UNDER A SECTION LABELED FOR LEGAL NOTICES.
• THE PUBLIC, EDUCATION, AND GOVERNMENT CHANNEL OPERATED IN THAT CITY.
• A PUBLIC OR COMMERCIAL RADIO STATION BROADCAST IN THE CITY.
• A PUBLIC OR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION STATION BROADCAST IN THE CITY.

Following on the heels of two bills being proposed in Virginia, this bill signifies the official kickoff of the Public Notice Bill Proposal season.

In other states, newspapers have successfully raised the issue that a public notice needs to be published by an independent third party (like a newspaper) to preserve impartiality. Newspapers make the argument to preserve the revenue. The point is valid and this bill does not completely address it.

It appears that legislators in Maryland are preparing to propose legislation to move notices out of the newspapers as well.

Below is the Michigan bill which has been referred to the Committee on Local Government.

A bill to amend 1909 PA 279, entitled "The home rule city act," (MCL 117.1 to 117.38) by adding section 4t.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

SEC. 4T. (1) EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED BY LAW AND NOTWITHSTANDING ANY CHARTER PROVISION OR ORDINANCE, A CITY THAT IS REQUIRED TO PUBLISH A LEGAL NOTICE IN A NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION IN THE CITY MAY SATISFY THAT REQUIREMENT BY POSTING THE LEGAL NOTICE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK IN A PROMINENT PLACE VISIBLE TO THE PUBLIC AT ALL TIMES AND ON, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, 1 OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING:

A) ON THE HOMEPAGE OF THE CITY'S WEBSITE UNDER A SECTION LABELED FOR LEGAL NOTICES.

(B) ON THE HOMEPAGE OF THE WEBSITE OF THE NEWSPAPER DESIGNATED BY THE CITY AS THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION IN THE CITY UNDER A SECTION LABELED FOR LEGAL NOTICES.

(C) THE PUBLIC, EDUCATION, AND GOVERNMENT CHANNEL OPERATED IN THAT CITY.

(D) A PUBLIC OR COMMERCIAL RADIO STATION BROADCAST IN THE CITY.

(E) A PUBLIC OR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION STATION BROADCAST IN THE CITY.

(2) THE LEGAL NOTICE POSTED IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (1) SHALL BE NOTARIZED. THE CITY CLERK SHALL RETAIN A COPY OF THE NOTARIZED LEGAL NOTICE IN PERPETUITY, AND THE NOTICE MAY BE VIEWED BY A PERSON UPON REQUEST TO THE CITY CLERK.

(3) IF A CITY CLERK POSTS A LEGAL NOTICE AS PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION, THE CITY CLERK SHALL CREATE AND MAINTAIN A PERMANENT NOTICE LIST. A PERSON MAY MAKE A REQUEST TO THE CITY CLERK T BE PLACED ON THE PERMANENT NOTICE LIST TO RECEIVE BY REGULAR MAIL OR ELECTRONIC MAIL THE LEGAL NOTICES POSTED PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (1). WITHIN 24 HOURS AFTER A LEGAL NOTICE IS POSTED IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (1), THE CITY CLERK SHALL SEND TO EACH PERSON ON THE PERMANENT NOTICE LIST BY REGULAR MAIL OR ELECTRONIC MAIL A COPY OF THAT LEGAL NOTICE.

4) IF A CITY CHANGES THE METHOD BY WHICH A LEGAL NOTICE IS PUBLISHED OR POSTED AS PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION, THAT METHOD FOR PUBLISHING OR POSTING A LEGAL NOTICE SHALL BE MAINTAINED BY THE CITY FOR NOT LESS THAN 1 YEAR AND THAT METHOD FOR PUBLISHING OR POSTING A LEGAL NOTICE SHALL CONTINUE TO BE USED BY THE CITY FOR NOT LESS THAN 30 DAYS AFTER ANY ADDITIONAL CHANGE IS MADE TO THE METHOD BY WHICH A LEGAL NOTICE IS PUBLISHED OR POSTED IN THE CITY.

(5) IF A CITY CHANGES THE METHOD BY WHICH A LEGAL NOTICE IS PUBLISHED OR POSTED AS PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION, THE CITY SHALL PROVIDE NOTICE OF THAT CHANGE BY USING THE MOST RECENT METHOD THAT THE CITY USES FOR PUBLISHING OR POSTING LEGAL NOTICES.

To read how other states are addressing this issue Click HERE

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Virginia House Bill 1378 Proposes to Move Public Notices to Governement Site. When Will They Ever Learn?

 

HAT TIP :LEGAL NOTICE ONLINE

Virginia House Bill 1378 Proposes to Move Public Notices to Governement Site. When Will They Ever Learn?

It seems that our elected officials are as oblivious to their surroundings as they are persistent. In the past 18 months, over 20 bills proposed in various states moving public notices to government web sites have failed to pass. The newspapers' valid argument in opposing these bills has been that the independence, required when a non-partisan third party (like a newspaper) commissioned to publish notices, is absent when the government controls the message and the delivery of that message. One would think that Mark Cole, the delegate from Virginia's 88th district, while proposing to use the internet for public notices, might have learned from that medium (and our blog) that those bills do not pass and perhaps would try a different strategy, say, letting online news organizations that devote a certain amount of space to local news, compete with printed newspapers to offer local governments substantial cost savings.

Alas, below is yet another attempt doomed to fail, not for lack of trying (last year 7 bills failed in Va. attempting to change the antiquated public notice laws) but for lack of inventiveness. The bill  has been referred to the Committee on Counties and Towns where hopefully it won't die.

 

HOUSE BILL NO. 1378 

Offered January 9, 2013

Prefiled December 10, 2012

 BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-107.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the advertisement of legal notices on websites.

Patron-- Cole

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Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 15.2-107.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 15.2-107.1. Advertisement of legal notices on websites.

In addition to or instead of any requirements that a locality advertise legal notices in a newspaper having a general circulation in the locality, and notwithstanding any other provision of law, general or special, such notices may also be published on the locality's World Wide Web site website.
_____________
To read how other states are addressing this issue Click HERE

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Democratic Sen. Hagan could face “quite a battle” - Winston-Salem Journal: State / Region:

Democratic Sen. Hagan could face “quite a battle” - Winston-Salem Journal: State / Region:

Greensboro's U.S. Senator Kay Hagan has been put in the endangered category from political professor Larry Sabato in article. We can also thank the senators husband for having to shell out millions of dollars to the millionaires for the court case in regards to the piedmont triad regional water authority. here is a report from rhino HERE

Mayor of Greensboro with another Conflict of Interest Incentive Grant in Greensboro

 

 

On the agenda for the City of Greensboro for January 15, 2013 is this:

33. Resolution authorizing Economic Development Incentive Grant for 102 North Elm Street Associates, LLC D/B/A The Southeastern Building not to exceed $238,422.

Well as you can see from the above pictures, look at who is the leasing agent for the building, none other than the Mayor of Greensboro Robbie Perkins . Hopefully we will see the Mayor who has done plenty in the past recuse himself again because of a conflict of interest.

Here is a link to the Business Journal article on this agenda item HERE

and also some more reporting from a article in 2011 HERE

JACKPOT! Las Vegas Review Journal Hits It Big with $580,000 Legal Notice Maybe No Longer

 

HAT TIP LEGAL NOTICE

JACKPOT!- Las Vegas Review-Journal Hits It Big with $580,000 Legal Notice ... maybe no longer.

Clark County, Nevada, by state law, must publish in print 1 legal notice called the property assessment roll. Weighing over 4 pounds according to the Las Vegas Sun , this one legal notice lists the value of each property in the County. The tax assessor according to the Sun says that it is so "property owners can compare their properties to other similar properties." Sounds a lot like Zillow or Propertyvalueus.org or Realestate.com which provide the same services for free. Yet the Las Vegas Review-Journal gets to charge the county $580,000.

If this sounds to you like a big boondoggle and a waste of taxpayer money you are not alone. Nevada State Assemblyman Paul Aizley, according to the Sun thinks that $580,000 could be put to better use. The Property Assessment Roll is online all year and costs the county virtually nothing. For one day in the newspaper, the cost is $580,000. Aizley intends to propose a bill that would exempt large counties from having to publish the assessment roll in print. It seems reasonable but similar bills have failed in the past.

The Nevada Press Association impresses on us that there should be an independent entity publishing these notices. We couldn't agree more. That is why we love the fact that online only publications like TheBatavian.com and the RiverheadLocal are publishing legal notices for free until the law changes and online publications can compete on an even playing field with print publications. All one needs is a smart phone to receive those notices. Given that about $1 billion is being wasted on public notices nationwide and local governments are strapped for cash, it seems like a worthy endeavor.

To read how other states are addressing this issue Click HERE

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