Public Notice Not Needed for Tax Delinquency in Guilford County

Advertising Tax Lien Costs and Corresponding Publications With Collection Rates by triadwatch on Scribd

more analysis from Roch Smith

https://greensboro101.com/data-on-legal-listings-is-bad-news-for-newspapers/

Just a little history on what you see from above . I had spoke to the Guilford County Commissioners on the outrageous bill the taxpayers of this county were given in regards to the one day posting in the local papers for a state law. The state law only states they have to post in one paid paper as you see the Guilford County Commissioners in 2012-2013 they posted in 3 papers at a cost  of $109,000. The commissioners made a great move and bid out the process where we see Jamestown News won the process for 2013-2014-2015 at a cost to taxpayers of $3900,$4700 and $4500. This saved the taxpayers over $100,000 from this bid process but in reality it should be a zero cost and not posted at all in the paid papers.

What we hear from editors and the N.C. Press Association all over this state is that this public notice on the tax delinquency bill is needed for example here is a link to a post from pilot online with

Delinquent Taxes Roll In  After Debtors Names are Published
http://www.thepilot.com/news/delinquent-taxes-roll-in-after-debtors-names-are-published/article_67362820-1e31-11e7-a3f6-6fb4f2ea1047.html

Let me debunk this myth on what we got from the Guilford County Tax Department. When we had multiple postings of the tax delinquency bill at $109,000 from Greensboro  News and Record, High Point Enterprise  and Carolina Peacemaker the rate of return was  98.53% in 2012-2013. Then we see that after the bid process it  went to the Jamestown News for the next three years with a rate of return at 98.83%,98.99% and 99.09% for the year. Jamestown News is a very small paper maybe with a reach of 10,000 people in a county of 500,000. So after looking  at these numbers you can say that even posting the tax delinquents in one of the smallest papers in Guilford County that the tax department was close to perfect even when nobody saw their name in a paid paper.

Having state law make cities and counties all over this state publish tax delinquents in a paid paper is a complete waste of money and looking at what happened in Guilford County goes to show that it is not needed and needs to be abolished as state law.

N.C. Rep. Jeff Collins Touts N.C. Press Taxpayer Giveaway as Good Business Model

If you want to get a great laugh for the day check out what N.C. Rep. Jeff Collins had to say in the Rocky Mount Telegram about Public Notices in paper CLICKHERE .

I quote
"“I'm not sure how changes would affect newspapers. I'm worried about the small weekly papers. They have good business models because they've been around a long time. I want to know what will happen to those newspapers.”

To give a little background of what is happening in North Carolina we are trying to pass some new laws to upgrade the way we get in touch with people all over this state which is the internet . The N.C. Press Association wants us to still stay in the dark and also pay out the wazoo as taxpayers to the dying newspaper .

In regards to small town newspapers like the Jamestown News and others they are telling us that if we quit providing the papers with this subsidy in state mandated using only the newspaper of choice for public notices we will have to shut down the paper.

As we see from other parts of state we have a state legislator telling us that they have a good business model because they have been around a long time. What horse honkey BS is this ? The business model has been take these state mandated public notice money sit back do nothing like selling your paper and live off the taxpayers because that is what I am seeing. Plenty of newspapers all over this state and country know that this is coming and with more education as to the millions spent by the taxpayers to keep these newspapers afloat it is time the N.C. Press Association to provide a different business model not the one on the backs of the Taxpayers all over this state.

Mainstream Papers Go All Out To Maintain Monopoly Rhino Times

http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/481138-march-19-2015/10

Article in this weeks Rhino Times titled Mainstream Papers Go All Out to Maintain Monopoly.

HERE

N.C. Press Assoc. Editorial Boards Starting Their Campaign To Keep The Monopoly on Public Notice in N.C.

Since the start of the 2015 North Carolina General Assembly we have seen 2 award winning head cheerleaders for the N.C. Press Association file bills in both houses to keep the Monopoly Paid Paper public notice laws stay the way they have been on the books since 1940's. Here is the post about this CLICKHERE

It is always great to see the N.C. Press Association come out with talking points for their constituents to editorialize in their own papers about this bill and how it is not about the money but we all know it is all about the money.For example here are some links to what I have been talking about
The Robesonian HERE
Hendersonville Lightning HERE

but the best post this past week from the N.C. Press Association Public Notice Monopoly goes to the Richmond County Daily Journal with a editorial from March 7, 2015 titled OUR VIEW: McInnis shows leadership on public notices CLICKHERE

Here is what was said in editorial
"The latest U.S. Census Bureau figures estimate that roughly a fifth of North Carolinians don’t have home Internet access. Taking legals out of the local newspaper would leave about 2 million Tar Heels in the dark."

So let's take what was said and turn it upside down for a minute. the census bureau is stating that 80% of North Carolinians have access to the internet. But we need to still have a state law that makes cities and counties have to spend money to publish in a dwindling customer base called a paid paper maybe only getting to 20% of the population in North Carolina as a yearly subscriber to a paid paper in their community.

This public notice law was put into the books on the 1940's well before the computer or the internet ever came into existence. Now in 2015 we have according to the Census Bureau 80% of population have home internet access in North Carolina. Let's save time and money and allow cities and counties all over the state of North Carolina use their own web sites to publish public notices.

It would be great to see our state representatives understand that wasting taxpayer money with a state law to a dwindling customer base is not the way public notices need to be delivered in the State of North Carolina just ask the triad business journal HERE with a title"Triad daily newspapers see continued circulation declines". they had that to report last year.

Public Notice laws should be the best way to get your message out to the biggest percentage of the population and as we see from the Census Bureau it is through the internet just like classifieds have practically left the papers for Craiglist. This is 2015 let's act like we know that a computer was invented and time to update these laws to allow this information to be made available online and not in a Paid Paper.

N.C. Press Association Monopoly Protection Act Bill Has Been Filed by Award Winning Reps

The 2014 winner of the N.C Press Association Lassiter Award N.C. Senator Norman Sanderson has now filed a bill S#129 titled Legal Notices/Require Internet Publication. which needs to have a new title " N.C. Press Association Monopoly Protection Act.

When will our North Carolina General Assembly start to understand that this is the year 2015 not 1949 it is time to revamp all public notices save taxpayer money and let local and county government put these notices on their own web sites. Having a state law which states that public notices have to go through "paid subscribers" which means paid papers is ludicrous.

Let me give you an example right here in Guilford County. We have a weekly publication which is free not a paid paper like the local Greensboro News and Record called the North West Observer. This weekly has 100% distribution to every household in Oak Ridge, Summerfield and Stokesdale. By law we make these 3 cities have to go through the Greensboro News and Record which has only a 20% distribution. So as you can see a weekly paper with 100% distribution should be the best place to have public notices to their constituents but by law they have to use the Greensboro News and Record at 20%, this makes no sense.

Hopefully we will se some drastic changes on the state level in regards to Public Notices but as we see from this past week with N.C. Senator Sanderson filed the bill above, we also have on the N.C. House side Rep. Marilyn Avila. She filed the same bill in the house side in H#156

 

 

 

a quote from Wilson Times on award

Rep. Marilyn Avila, a Wake County Republican, accepted the William C. Lassiter First Amendment award during the North Carolina Press Association's annual meeting last month

"The award -- which is among the highest honors the press association bestows -- is named for William C. Lassiter, an open-government attorney and former general counsel for the newspaper trade group.

"We don't give the William C. Lassiter First Amendment Award every year, and there's a reason for that," High said. "A true champion for the right to know doesn't come along every year. When someone does rise above the fray, we honor and celebrate that.""

So for the past 2 years the N.C. Press Association has bestowed this award to the 2 State Representatives who filed a bill which should be titled N.C. Press Association Monopoly Protection Act.

Time for drastic changes in our Public Notice laws and hopefully will see these 2 bills collect dust and never see the light of day.

 

Raleigh News and Observer Tax Delinquency Bill to Wake County Citizens is ????????

$25,224 is the bill paid to the Raleigh News and Observer to post for only one day in paper the tax delinquency for Wake County N.C. in 2013. This state law needs to be repealed because the bigger counties in this state already have this information available for anyone to see 24-7 on their county web site. No need to waste taxpayers money on this state law that needs a complete overhaul.

Looking back at the other major counties Mecklenburg County had a bill of $83,049 while in the past Guilford County had a bill around $90,000 but went to a request process and now it is only close to  $5,500 in Jamestown News.

Citizens all over this state need to be aware of the wasteful spending that goes on daily at our local and state government and the need to overhaul state law to maybe understand that the internet can provide this information to 80% of our population saving taxpayer monies in the process. Having mandated state law to provide this information only in a paid paper is absurd. Time to understand it is 2014 and we have a computer to provide this information to the masses.

Wake County Rep. Avila Guts Local Bill for Guilford County

Wake County House Rep. Marilyn Avila guts the whole local bill for Guilford County in regards to Electronic Notices to amend the bill to add language that was written by the N.C. Press Association. It passed on a 62-52 vote with plenty of clueless out of touch with reality N.C. House of Representatives voting with Head Cheerleader of the N.C. Press Association Avila. What you need to understand is that this bill was a local bill only for Guilford County and now we have the head cheerleader of the N.C. Press Association gutting a local bill and she doesn't even represent any constituents in this county. As we see in the write up from Travis Fain Greensboro News and Record "Bill Changing Legal Ads Notices Falters" . not one mention of this at all which is par for the course for the local press on this issue.

Let's look at what the N.C. Press Association President Hal Tanner III had to say in their july e newsletter about the head cheerleader in the North Carolina House of Representatives for the N.C Press Association earlier in the 2013 session  where this bill came up for a vote

"This has been a great year for newspapers across the state. I wish I could express how we felt listening to Rep. Marilyn Avila’s (R-Wake) speech on the House floor supporting newspapers during debate on SB287/HB504. It was a moment I will never forget and one of the highlights."

It was a moment for the N.C. Press Association to listen to themselves and their lobbyist who gave her plenty to say on the N.C. House floor in regards to the issue of electronic notices. The taxpayers of Guilford County can thank a Wake County Representative Avila for not saving the taxpayers of Guilford County over $500,000 that could go to some other program and the funny thing is that there are cities in Wake County who in past law have been given this opportunity to use electronic notices in  here is a post I did  with a title  "Electronic Notice is Good for Cary,Apex,Garner,Knightdale,and Raleigh is Good for Every other City in this State "
 . So as you see we had a Wake County Rep.Avila completely gut a local bill for Guilford County in regards to electronic notices while in her own county we have all these cities above have been able to use electronic notices the whole time. Is that fair? NO and points like this never came up in the discussion on the house floor. Maybe a Guilford County Representative can reverse one of these local bills to make them waste more taxpayer money to appease the BLOWHARDS at the N.C. Press Association.

I wanted to leave you with a report below the fold from the now gone but not forgotten Rhino Times where William Hammer was on point in regards to Senator Trudy Wade's Senate Bill #287 which was gutted by N.C. Press Association Head Cheerleader Wake County House Representative Republican Marilyn Avila.   

______________________________________________________________________________________________
Rhino Times
Wade's bill – allowing local governments in Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Burke, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and Union counties to post public notices required by law on their own websites rather than buying advertisements in paid circulation newspapers – passed the Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday, April 9, causing an uproar in the paid circulation newspaper industry.

Imagine what a great law that would be, regardless of what business you are in, if it required the city and county to do business with you. What if the state passed a law that Greensboro had to buy all of its coffee at a national chain of coffee shops that originated in Washington State and has a mermaid on its cups. Or what if the state had a law that all gasoline used by city vehicles had to be purchased at gas stations owned by a franchise that was started in Pennsylvania and sounds like a bad word mispronounced.

Can you imagine the outcry from the other coffee providers and gas stations? But the unbiased daily newspaper in town believes that local governments should be required by law to advertise public hearings, tax delinquencies and other such matters in the News & Record.

That is the kind of law that TECAN&R and every other major newspaper in the state has working for them. The law doesn't state that the City of Greensboro has to advertise in TECAN&R, but the way the newspaper where Greensboro has to advertise is defined, there is only one that meets all the criteria.

Wade's bill allows local governments to meet the legal requirement for advertising by placing a notice on its own website. It doesn't prevent any local government from running as many ads as it wants about anything, but local governments in Guilford the other counties will no longer be required by law to advertise in their local paid circulation newspapers.

The North Carolina Press Association is treating this bill like its First Amendment rights are being violated. But what the bill does is remove a government-sanctioned monopoly.

Since far more people have Internet access than subscribe to the daily newspapers, it seems like it is a way to reach more citizens. One of the arguments against the bill is that it is unfair to poor people because many can't afford a computer and don't have Internet access. That is true, but it is also true that not many poor people and very few homeless people subscribe to the daily newspaper.

This is a bill that will allow local governments to save hundreds of thousands of dollars. The other forms of notifying the public with signs on property to be rezoned and letters to nearby property owners remain unchanged. The bill only effects advertising in paid circulation newspapers.

The local government is free to experiment with notifying the public. In Greensboro a billboard on Battleground Avenue has attracted a lot of attention lately. Maybe that would be a good place to advertise an upcoming public hearing. Perhaps radio advertising would work, or even advertising in a free newspaper that is picked up and read by people all over Guilford County.


  

N.C. Press Lobbyist Lying To Committee in Regards to Guilford County Public Notice Bill

Greensboro City Councilman Tony Wilkins has heard some interesting news out of Raleigh N.C.where things are coming to a boil in regards to allowing local governments in Guilford County to have the option of using electronic notices to get information to the citizens in this county saving thousands and thousands of dollars each year. Travis Fain from the Greensboro News and Record has a report out today HERE

Here is the exchange between Councilman Tony Wilkins  and City Manager Denise Turner Roth that happened today.

Councilman Tony Wilkins:
Hey Denise,

 

Just wanted to clarify that I have been given some misinformation.

 

I got a call this morning that said the N&R lobbyist in Raleigh stated on the floor of the House yesterday that the city manager of Greensboro, Denise Roth, opposed the Electronics Notice Bill. The bill failed on a 10-10 vote.

 

I replied that could not be true because council voted unanimously to support the bill.

 

It comes back up today and I want to get word to Raleigh the information presented yesterday was false.

 

Please verify that you did not make that statement.

 

Thanks,

Tony Wilkins

 

RESPONSE from Greensboro City Manager Denise Turner Roth

 

You are correct Tony. I was just told the same thing this morning and was very upset. I have never had a conversation with anyone from the N&R about this bill. It floors me that my name has been used by them. I did speak with Rep. Adams this morning and explained that this item was supported by Council as part of its legislative agenda. I also explained from a management perspective, if we had this authority there were likely be some things we would seek to exercise it (posting electronic notices) for but there are some things we would likely keep posting in traditional news papers like rezoning cases. I also had the same conversation with Sen. Wade.

On a related matter, Alfrique with the Carolina Peacemaker called very upset a little while ago that the City Council is supporting this effort. I am preparing a message to go to all of Council as a heads up.

 

Denise Turner Roth, City Manager

City of Greensboro  

 

 

Triadwatch is trying to get to the bottom of this to find out which N.C. Press Association lobbyist member if LYING to the committee stating that a local Greensboro City Manager is opposed to this bill when in reality she works for the City of Greensboro and their legislative agenda for 2013 is for them to have the ability to use electronic notices without going through the mandated and outdated law that states you have to provide public information only in a paid paper of weekly circulation to qualify.

When can we see some legislators understand that it is time to think ahead for a change and start allowing counties who want them to provide public notices electronically to do so.  Senator Trudy Wade has been a stalwart on this issue along with plenty of other representatives like House Rep. Jon Hardister  from Guilford County as well. They have been out front with all of these bills and it looks like we might see a pilot program coming out of Guilford County in regards to public notices, they plan on voting on this tonight since it got out of the house committee and all the BLOWHARDS from the N.C. Press Association who are LYING to a committee to make this bill go away should be ashamed of themselves since all they are thinking is the mighty taxpayer funded state mandated dollar nothing else.

Can the N.C. Press Association understand that their government assisted state law gravy train is slowly coming to a end  and it is time for local city and county governments to provide this information to their constituents as they see fit and save taxpayer dollars to boot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

N.C. Press Blowhards Won Battle But Not War in Regards to Public Notices in North Carolina

The associated press"AP" is reporting this for all the newspapers with a headline "NC Newspapers Tout Win Over Public Notice Bill"

One bill that passed crossover in the North Carolina Legislature is Senate Bill #287 and is still alive in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

In the AP report this is said,"Rep. Marilyn Avila, R-Wake, successfully pushed for an amendment that replaced the whole bill with her own measure maintaining newspaper control but with discounted rates in cases of multiple notices and free Web publishing."


Here is a report from the NC Press blowhards

"The amendment to HB 755 was sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Avila (R)-Wake. Her amendment completely substituted the language of the DENR public notices bill with the language of HB 723, the NCPA-backed compromise bill.

The vote shown are on the amendment. The main bill, as amended,was not voted on by the House on May 15. The amendment was also being attached to HB 504 and SB 287. All three bills were re-referred to the House Rules Committee."

 

What is interesting to see is how the NC Press blowhards want to substitute their pathetic do nothing bill as a whole substitution and they want to attach this amendment to Senate Bill #287 if it comes in front of the NC House since this is the last bill standing that will save millions in taxpayer money all over this state.

What needs to be done is that the blowhards from NC Press can add this amendment house bill 723 to senate bill 287  but it WILL NOT COMPLETELY substitute the whole language that is already in Senate Bill 287. The NC Press blowhards can have their amendment added to the cities and counties who want to live in the 1940's and keep on wasting taxpayer money at a dying product but allow the cities and counties who understand this is 2013 and they can provide this information to their constituents and save the taxpayers million of dollars.

 

Senator Wade's Public Notice Bill #287 Headed to House Floor Next Week,

Senate Bill #287 with primary sponsor in Local Guilford Delegation Senator Dr. Trudy Wade is making it's way through the House side of the North Carolina Legislature and it looks like it will come up for a House vote on Tuesday May 14th 2013 . Here is a report from the North Carolina League of Municipalities who are in favor of this bill,

"Two bills advanced by the House Judiciary Subcommittee B Wednesday would grant certain counties and the municipalities wholly within those counties electronic notice authority. SB 287 Notice Publication by Some Local Govs and HB 504 Local Electronic Notice each grant specific counties and their municipalities the option of publishing legally required notices on their own websites and through other means, rather than purchasing advertising space in a print newspaper. Municipalities chose electronic notice authority as an advocacy goal because current law requires them to spend upwards of $4 million annually on newspaper advertising statewide, at a time when print newspaper readership is declining and newspaper readers are not looking for public notices. Both bills now head to the House floor likely next week. SB 287 has already passed the Senate and would become law if it is approved by the full House without any changes. HB 504 would still need Senate approval before becoming law."

Then we have the North Carolina Press Association who is having a conniption over the idea of saving taxpayers money and having local governments provide the public notice to their taxpayers, check out 
MEMBER ALERT on their front page.

 

How silly is this: Newspapers fight electronic posting of public notices

with permission from Beaufort Observer
HOW SILLY IS THIS: NEWSPAPERS FIGHT ELECTRONIC POSTING OF PUBLIC NOTICES

April 22, 2013

There are two stories, at least, here. First, the obvious one.

A group of legislators, mostly from the western part of the state, decided that public notices required by law should be able to be published electronically rather than as has been required by law since before the internet was invented, in certain newspapers. Boy did it stir up a ruckus. The N. C. Press Association went bonkers. But who can blame them. It's a cash cow for many local struggling newspapers.

So a number of publishers (the ones who make money with newspapers) are lobbying the salons heavily to kill the bill, even though it does not even apply to the counties of some of those pitching a hissy fit. They see it as handwriting on the wall, no doubt.

Click here to download and read the bill. (Fair disclosure: The Observer office gang has a pool going to see who can most accurately guess how many times it will be downloaded. We are each trying to get the lowest numbers).

Now, here' the second, and to us, more interesting story here. It is a perfect example of biased journalism by the Elite Media. In this case it is a piece written by Bob Ashley, the editor of the Durham Herald-Sun. We'll let it speak for itself: Click here to go to the original source.

Commentary

This is about as silly a scrap as we've seen in recent years.

First, nobody reads this junk. It is only intended to allow government officials to say "we'll we published it in the paper" whenever anyone complains they didn't know about something the government was doing, and that hardly ever makes any difference anyway.

Secondly, it is sad and shameful that these newspaper people are so desperate to hang on to this revenue. Of course they are going down the tubes and to be sure they realize that paid public notices are not going to save them. Craig's List has already annihilated their want-ad gig and advertisers are flocking away from them. Subscribers are fleeing and no amount of public money for these silly ads is going to save the newspaper industry.

Certainly it makes more sense for the public notices to be posted on the government's website.

But if this dude from Durham wants to argue that the notices should be posted where they are more likely to be seen by more people then they should be put on websites like the Beaufort Observer. While we don't particularly care about having to mess with them, it is ironic that we have three times more readers every day than does the local "newspaper of record" that publishes the notices. We publish the important ones, free of charge, and we know how many people read them. It would be a shame and a sham to take taxpayer money for publishing these notices.

So we think the bill should be passed. And we think the dinosaurs with ink running in their veins should just suck it up and join the times.

Surely our legislators have more important things to do.

Rhino Times Nails It in Regards to Our Local Paid Paper, N.C. Press Association Listen Up

John Hammer in this weeks edition of the Rhino Times Nails it again in a article titled "Wade Bad News for TECAN&R and CO."
In the article here is more in regards to the public notice bill #287 that our Guilford County Senator Dr. Wade has introduced for the senate that is on calendar for this coming Monday. Here is what was said:


The article and editorial had little to do with the White Street Landfill, but have a lot to do with hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue that TECAN&R stands to lose if Wade is successful in passing Senate Bill 387 that eliminates a law that virtually requires the City of Greensboro, Guilford County and other local units of the state government to buy ads from TECAN&R.

Wade's bill – allowing local governments in Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Burke, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and Union counties to post public notices required by law on their own websites rather than buying advertisements in paid circulation newspapers – passed the Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday, April 9, causing an uproar in the paid circulation newspaper industry.

Imagine what a great law that would be, regardless of what business you are in, if it required the city and county to do business with you. What if the state passed a law that Greensboro had to buy all of its coffee at a national chain of coffee shops that originated in Washington State and has a mermaid on its cups. Or what if the state had a law that all gasoline used by city vehicles had to be purchased at gas stations owned by a franchise that was started in Pennsylvania and sounds like a bad word mispronounced.

Can you imagine the outcry from the other coffee providers and gas stations? But the unbiased daily newspaper in town believes that local governments should be required by law to advertise public hearings, tax delinquencies and other such matters in the News & Record.

That is the kind of law that TECAN&R and every other major newspaper in the state has working for them. The law doesn't state that the City of Greensboro has to advertise in TECAN&R, but the way the newspaper where Greensboro has to advertise is defined, there is only one that meets all the criteria.

Wade's bill allows local governments to meet the legal requirement for advertising by placing a notice on its own website. It doesn't prevent any local government from running as many ads as it wants about anything, but local governments in Guilford the other counties will no longer be required by law to advertise in their local paid circulation newspapers.

The North Carolina Press Association is treating this bill like its First Amendment rights are being violated. But what the bill does is remove a government-sanctioned monopoly.

Since far more people have Internet access than subscribe to the daily newspapers, it seems like it is a way to reach more citizens. One of the arguments against the bill is that it is unfair to poor people because many can't afford a computer and don't have Internet access. That is true, but it is also true that not many poor people and very few homeless people subscribe to the daily newspaper.

This is a bill that will allow local governments to save hundreds of thousands of dollars. The other forms of notifying the public with signs on property to be rezoned and letters to nearby property owners remain unchanged. The bill only effects advertising in paid circulation newspapers.

The local government is free to experiment with notifying the public. In Greensboro a billboard on Battleground Avenue has attracted a lot of attention lately. Maybe that would be a good place to advertise an upcoming public hearing. Perhaps radio advertising would work, or even advertising in a free newspaper that is picked up and read by people all over Guilford County.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Well said Mr. Hammer and on a side bar the state bill is #287 not #387 that Mr. Hammer said in article. The N.C. Press Association  is having a conniption over this bill and here is a link to their effort to keep their government subsidized gravy train intact click on PATHETIC

Senator Wade's Public Notice Local Bill #287 Passes Committee With Some Fireworks from N. C. Press

In todays North Carolina Local and State Government Committee was Senate Bill #287 which will allow local governments in certain counties to use their government web sites to send out public notices which is what needs to be done and at same the time save taxpayers money.

As Triadwatch has said before in plenty of post on this subject of
HERE   HERE   HERE   HERE   HERE   and a great one annotating the North Carolina Press Association HERE

In this taxpayer funded government subsidized gravy train it is time to start thinking about the future of public notices it is not 1949 it is 2013 and how we reach the masses while at the same time saving taxpayer money to boot. Advertising in local paid papers is way too expensive and does not reach the audience needed especially when subscriptions are falling faster than Mayor of Greensboro Robbie Perkins bank account.

We also learn that there was some fireworks in regards to the committee meeting today here is what was reported from the Raleigh News and Observer post out today

The committee passed the measure by voice vote. Bussian, the press association lobbyist, said the committee voted 6-5 to reject the measure. Tucker, the chair, rejected a subsequent appeal for a show of hands and declared the meeting adjourned.

At that point, Hal Tanner, publisher of the Goldsboro News-Argus, approached Tucker. He told him he thought the vote was handled in a manner inconsistent with Republican stands for open government.

“I said, ‘We just got through dealing with Jim Black,’ ” Tanner later recalled, referring to the former Democratic House speaker jailed on corruption charges.
“I’m not Jim Black, I’m not Jim Black,” an angry Tucker replied. Senate rules prohibit roll call votes in committee.

Later, in an email to members, the press association quoted Tucker telling Tanner: “I am the senator. You are the citizen. You need to be quiet.”

Tucker disputes the quote.
“I said something to the effect that, ‘I’m the senator here, let me finish,’ ” he said. “I just took offense to it because he impugned our integrity. And I took it personally.”  The North Carolina Press Association needs to take off it's blinders to this whole public notice issue and understand that they are motivated by the greed of the taxpayer money and not even thinking about the public because it they did then we would not see all this backtracking on saying now they will start putting public notices online free of charge . The N.C. Press and all of it's blowhards should have provided this information online by themselves to inform the public not after the fact as we see in them having a bill to have them put notices online.  The irony from the North Carolina Press Association having 3 Wake County house representatives provide the dumb bill of the year in House Bill #723 with   Rep. Marilyn Avila (R)-Raleigh; Rep. Jim Fulghum (R)-Raleigh  are sponsors of this bill where we find out that Raleigh North Carolina has passed a bill over 10 years ago in regards to public notice laws. The triadwatch post this titled "Electronic Notice is Good for Cary,Apex,Garner,Knightdale,and Raleigh is Good for Every other City in this State "  What is good for Raleigh is good for every other city and county in this state and it is time we pass these new public notice laws . Thanks to all the Senators who stood up to the bully pulpit from the BLOWHARDS from the North Carolina Press Association.

WAIT A MINUTE WAIT A MINUTE THE NORTH CAROLINA PRESS ASSOCIATION HAS A MEMBER ALERT MEMBER ALERT WATCH OUT here come the bullies and their talking points.

 

N.C. Press Association Trying To Save Their Taxpayer Funded Gravy Train Otherwise Known As Public Notice Laws in North Carolina

 

 

HAT TIP CAROLINA PLOTT HOUND and link to a press release from the N.C. Press Association who are in a fight to keep their taxpayer funded paid paper monopolistic government subsidy on the books in the State of North Carolina. Below the fold we will do a little annotating in red against this letter from the N.C. Press Association.  

__________________________________________________________________________________

From the NC Press Association:

Senate Bill 186 comes up for a hearing next Tuesday, April 9, at noon at the Statehouse in Raleigh. PLEASE contact your local senators on this committee and ask them to vote AGAINST this bad bill.

Please also be ready, if you are able, to travel to Raleigh on Tuesday to help us fight this bill – we’ll watch for changes in the timing of the hearing and keep you posted. But if you can, please let me know if you CAN come to Raleigh next Tuesday! 

NCPA is preparing to file a piece of our own legislation next week aimed at ending the battle over public notices – for a while, at least. We’ll be sending details. But in the meantime, call and email your senators.

Oh boy cannot wait to see what legislation the NCPA is going to offer the citizens of North Carolina. Hopefully they will say we will provide these public notices for FREE since it is so important to the citizens . We will probably see some dumbass bill that will not save one bit of taxpayers money but will allow the newspapers to finally put public notices online like we see our neighbors to the west with the Dumbest Legal Notice Bill Yet , Newspapers Must Put Notice Online which Saves No Taxpayer Money and Mandates Nothing New.  

Here’s is NCPA’s stand on this bill

At a time when fellow Republicans are offering bills strengthening public records laws and opening the government to more transparency, it’s surprising and disappointing to see lawmakers take a stance that undermines one of the basic rules of open government – the people have a right to see what their government is doing in their name.

There is a new sheriff in town and he is not beholden to the liberal newspapers all over this state.

· Public notices need to be public. Putting them on an obscure government web site – and most are – suggest the public has no right to know what the government is planning. 

These obscure web sites are as easy as typing in your county or city into a google search which is not hard to do.

· Legislators many decades ago made it a legal requirement to run public notices in newspapers because newspapers were then and are now the first place the public looks for information about its government. . Newspapers run legal ads on their web sites as well these days – at no extra charge to the government, FYI – which adds a whole new audience.

This is not 1949 but 2013 these public notice laws were made well before the internet ever came into existence and having laws that say you have to be in a "Paid Paper" for a public notice is as outdated as these public notice laws are.

· Legislators also wanted the law to mandate running such ads to prevent back-room behavior – keeping business practices in the sunshine and under the watchful eye of the public, which pays the bills.

Now we have plenty of places where ads can be run from each city or county web site or some places in the State of North Carolina have a government access T.V. station that can provide this information without having to spend  additional taxpayers money in a paid newspaper.

 

· Many, many thousands of North Carolinians still don’t have affordable, easy access to internet service – how will THEY see these notices?

Many, many thousands of North Carolinians do not subscribe to the local newspaper as well , how will THEY see these notices?

· A government website is not free to the taxpayers, and running ads on government websites could COST taxpayers MUCH more. It requires the governmental body to spend time and money to ensure that the site is secure. The notice must be handled in an error-free manner and posted for the proper amount of time. Verification procedures must be in place. Affidavits may need to be provided in some cases. These are services that newspapers now provide to public notice customers.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to post a public notice on a government web site and the cost is very minimal compared to how much money flows to the monopolistic paid papers and this government subsidized state law. Look at what the Wilmington Star News has planned and to get your public notice will not be free and cost you $119.40 for digital and home delivery $207 a year.A newspaper is not free either and only if you are a 7 day a week subscriber then you might miss that most important notice in the paper because the newspapers do not tell you when they are going to file a public notice it just shows up in back section of newspapers.

· What happens when a government entity runs a notice incorrectly? Lawsuits are sure to follow, and for smaller governments – that’s an unfunded mandate that carries a huge liability for government employees and the local residents.

What a complete crock of crap that talking point is. What has happened in past where newspapers run a notice incorrectly, please enlighten us on how many lawsuits have happened in the past 50 years because of a wrong public notice. 

· Who will monitor these ads to assure they comply with the law, and police them if they don’t? The government cannot police itself. History has proven that time and again.

What is there to police it is a public notice ad in a outdated form of notification called the "paid newspaper" which cost taxpayers in this state millions of dollars. Just in one county Guilford we have one public notice on one day that cost taxpayers $97,000 here is a link to that post CLICKHERE

 

Please let us know what you hear back – and as always, thank you for taking this fight on yet again! This is the sixth straight year and we have won over and over. That’s a streak worth fighting for!

Hopefully that streak is coming to a end and we will see the North Carolina Legislature start thinking it is now 2013 not 1949, it is time do away with these outdated public notice laws that were made well before the internet was invented and save taxpayers money in the process.