By Melissa Leu Illinois Statehouse News
SPRINGFIELD — Local newspapers are fired up over a measure introduced this week in the House that may cut down on government transparency.
Public notices are announcements that involve any action using public property or tax dollars, such as upcoming public meetings, bids for government contracts and assessment notices for taxes.
Mautino pointed to various public agencies pushing measures in the previous General Assembly to exempt them from the Notice by Publication Act, which obligates public entities to publish notices in newspapers.
The attorney general’s office remained open to the issue.
“We’re always interested in encouraging the use of the Internet to expand the availability of government information, but we also generally have concerns about limiting the use of other ways to notify the public,” said Robyn Ziegler, spokeswoman for Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
About 80 percent of public notices are already posted online, in addition to being published in newspapers, said DeRossett. But newspapers are still the most reliable method of distribution, he said..
Some public entities see the measure as more of a cost-saving, modernization tactic.
But newspapers would like to see tangible numbers.
A recent full-page public notice in a Springfield newspaper cost about $3,000, Niebur said.
During the past four years, metropolitan counties spent about $5 million on publishing public notices, Niebur said.
For newspapers and their readers, however, the cost may be just as high.
Mautino expects to gather both sides for a meeting within the next two weeks.
Originally reported by Illinois Statehouse News. Read the original article here.