Rural Messenger named official county newspaper, may come with legal issues
The Reno County Commission approved a motion to switch the official newspaper of Reno County from the Hutchinson News to the Rural Messenger on Wednesday morning at the county courthouse, citing that switching to another publication would save money on newspaper space and legal notices.
Three newspapers bid to become the official periodical: the Ninnescah Valley News (published in Pretty Prairie), The Rural Messenger (published in Haven), and the Hutchinson News (published in Hutchinson). Ninnescah Valley News has a print circulation of 630, and the Rural Messenger circulates 10,300 copies. The Hutchinson News failed to comment on publication numbers.
“I haven’t talked to anyone recently who still has a subscription to the [Hutchinson] news,” said Commissioner Don Bogner.
The commission cited concerns over costs to print in the Hutchinson News, as the corporate-owned paper charges $18.70 per column inch, compared to the Rural Messenger at $8.50, and the Ninnescah Valley News at $3.70.
“While I read and like the Rural Messenger, we’re all worried about costs and budget,” said Commissioner Ron Hirst.
Chairman Daniel Friesen proposed a resolution to authorize the change of the official newspaper to the Rural Messenger if they were to match the Ninnescah Valley News’s rate of cost.
“We would certainly entertain that,” said Anita Stuckey, an owner of the Rural Messenger.
However, the Rural Messenger may not be eligible to become the official paper, as the publication is free, and Kansas statute requires that newspapers must have “general paid circulation on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis in the county,” according to the Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes (64-101).
Joey Young, owner of Kansas Publishing Ventures and Publisher of The Clarion, the Harvey County Now, and the Hillsboro Free Press, commented on the issue.
“That seems curious, as the Rural Messenger doesn’t fit the statute to be the official newspaper of the county. The Hutch News and the Ninnescah Valley News fit the statute the way I read it,” said Young. “I’m not entirely certain how the county will give the legal notices to the Rural Messenger legally”
Young also commented on a newspaper that his company manages, the Hillsboro Free Press. The Free Press is a free newspaper that covers Marion County but is not legally allowed to carry legal notices because it is a free publication.
“If a free paper were eligible to be the county newspaper, our Hillsboro Free Press in Marion County would be able to bid on the legals there, but we are not allowed to,” said Young.
Reno County Counselor Patrick Hoffman said that the Rural Messenger fit the Request for Proposal (RFP) and that the publication reported to the county they had paid circulation when they bid.
“We showed everybody the requirements of RFP, and we will double check that they meet the requirements before we make anything official,” said Hoffman.
If the Rural Messenger does not fit the statute or cannot match the pricing of print as the Ninnescah Valley News, the motion passed automatically defaults to the Ninnescah Valley News.