Our Opinion: Disclosure of Notices Is a Key Part of Public Discourse – Austin Daily Herald

The lawn mower county board meeting on Tuesday discussed the publication of legal notices in newspapers, putting the spotlight on the importance of government transparency once again.

While we recognize the costs associated with issuing legal notices, we remind Commissioners that they serve an important role for governments and, by extension, communities.

Newspaper announcements are still the number one source of information for citizens to know what the government is doing. Community is where you learn information about construction projects, what happened at meetings, proposed or approved ordinances, delinquent tax lists, property sales, noxious weed control, and voting information.

Public notices are essential not only in helping residents make informed decisions, but also in holding local governments accountable for the decisions made.

Across print and website, Herald reaches over 14,500 people. This is a significant number of people in the area who care about their community. Our website alone receives hundreds of thousands of page views each month.

Commissioners and the public are reminded that not only are notices published in newspapers, but they are also published and archived on the Herald’s website, and are freely accessible to the public. A website is a place that people are already comfortable visiting on a regular basis.

Notices are also uploaded to mnpublicnotice.com, where the public can search all notices statewide.

People are encouraged to follow the Herald’s announcements in print or online format to show support for this long-standing practice moving forward into the future.

While some governments throughout the state are promoting the publication of these notices on their own websites, these notices are forums independent of the government, trusted and visited by thousands of people every day. It is important that we continue to publish in the sources we do.