News & Record : Editorial: Berger gets a chair and lends city an ear: An Example Description
The Greensboro News and Record Opinion page from 2-21-2013 omits one big issue that has been talked about for a few years in this state called public or electronic notices. In the opinion page of the News and Record here are the bullet points for the City of Greensboro State Legislative Agenda
"The city also wants:
-- The state Division of Motor Vehicles to collect unpaid parking tickets by refusing to renew car registrations to drivers who owe money.
-- The ability to address disparities in minority contracting through legislation tailored to “Greensboro’s unique needs.”
-- Authority to stop “brown bagging” at sexually oriented businesses that have lost alcohol permits but continue to operate as unregulated “juice bars.”
-- Permission to raise its annual motor vehicle fee from $10 to $15 to provide additional funding for city buses.
-- Measures to protect local revenues from state budget cuts.
But as we see John Hammer might think that legislation will open up for him to be a part of the government trough of public notice money but what the City of Greensboro wants to do is save taxpayers to not publish these notices in any paper but on their website which is fine with me. Saving taxpayers millions is the bottom line and having these notices published on every city and county website is a no brainer especially when these laws came into existence well before the internet ever came into fruition.
One interesting tidbit from being at the Greensboro Legislative Agenda was when this item came up during the presentation State Representative John Blust turned around to look at Greensboro News and Record writer Doug Clark and ask him if the Greensboro News and Record will endorse this agenda item for Electronic Notices. No response from Doug.
WAIT WAIT STOP THE PRESSES CHECK OUT PART #2 OF THIS ISSUE WHERE I WAS FORWARDED A EMAIL FROM ALLEN JOHNSON FROM THE NEWS AND RECORD THAT THEY DID TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN SHORT STACK FROM MONDAYS PAPER WILL POST ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW.
-- The power to appoint a receiver for vacant buildings in poor condition and then to rehabilitate, demolish or sell those buildings."
Here is what was omitted from the opinion page by the Greensboro News and Record
-- ELECTRONIC NOTICE
Seek legislation to give the City the option to use electronic legal public notices in lieu of publication in a newspaper.
State law currently requires all legal notices be published or advertised in a newspaper of general circulation. The City seeks revision of this law to allow selected legal notices to be published by electronic means on the City's website. The North Carolina League of Municipalities has also approved this item as an advocacy goal for the upcoming session.
One thing that is missing from what the City of Greensboro said above is that they need to add "PAID" to the newspapers in regards to these public notices because weekly papers like Yes Weekly and Rhino Times are shut out from getting taxpayers money in regards to this issue and if you look at the coverage of what you would like to see in getting public notices to the people both of these weekly papers have better coverage and it is also FREE to citizens but the state law says you have to be a "paid paper".
This week John Hammer from Rhino Times had this to say on the meeting that occurred on Monday between the Guilford Legislatures and this issue.
"A bill that is near and dear to our heart that is on the Greensboro legislative agenda is to open up legally required advertising to media other than paid circulation newspapers. The City of Greensboro could save a lot of money if it were not required to run legal advertising in the News & Record or other paid circulation newspapers.
Because most of the mainstream newspapers in the state endorse liberal Democrats for office, this bill, which has been around for a while, didn't have much chance of passage. But the Republicans now run the government and most of them are not beholden to the mainstream media."
Because most of the mainstream newspapers in the state endorse liberal Democrats for office, this bill, which has been around for a while, didn't have much chance of passage. But the Republicans now run the government and most of them are not beholden to the mainstream media."
But as we see John Hammer might think that legislation will open up for him to be a part of the government trough of public notice money but what the City of Greensboro wants to do is save taxpayers to not publish these notices in any paper but on their website which is fine with me. Saving taxpayers millions is the bottom line and having these notices published on every city and county website is a no brainer especially when these laws came into existence well before the internet ever came into fruition.
One interesting tidbit from being at the Greensboro Legislative Agenda was when this item came up during the presentation State Representative John Blust turned around to look at Greensboro News and Record writer Doug Clark and ask him if the Greensboro News and Record will endorse this agenda item for Electronic Notices. No response from Doug.
WAIT WAIT STOP THE PRESSES CHECK OUT PART #2 OF THIS ISSUE WHERE I WAS FORWARDED A EMAIL FROM ALLEN JOHNSON FROM THE NEWS AND RECORD THAT THEY DID TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN SHORT STACK FROM MONDAYS PAPER WILL POST ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW.
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