The Indiana Publisher

These anti-public notice advertising bills always start with local government lobbying groups or specific public officials, said Key. "This is my 25th legislative session and I've never had a citizen-based group come to the legislature and say 'We really don't want our government informing us of how they plan to spend our tax dollars,'" he said. As further proof of Hoosier support for publication of public notices, Key produced copies of public comments given to the Indiana Department of Environ- mental Management on its proposal last year to replace publication of air quality permit applications with website postings. IDEM says it received 562 comments and produced copies of 553 comments in response to an HSPA request under the Access to Public Records Act. In both committee meetings, Key dropped 2 ½ inches of paper on the desk containing all the comments against the elimination of the newspaper publication requirement. He held the two single pages that represented the 2 comments favoring website only notice. At the end of the hearing on H.B. 1004, authored by Rep. Sally Siegrist, R-West Lafayette, House Select Committee on Government Reduction chair Doug Gutwein, R-Francesville, told his members the question of publication of public notices was a "big deal" and asked they give it serious thought before next week's vote on the bill. Rep. Siegrist downplayed the statistical support for publica- tion, focusing on the fact that her bill only impacted one notice and wouldn't hurt newspapers that much. At the end of the hearing on H.B. 1005, authored by Rep. Sue Ziemke, R-Batesville, House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee chair Rep. Kevin Mahan, R-Hartford City asked Ziemke and Deborah Driskell, executive director of townships association, to work with HSPA on our concern. Key said the township annual report requirement is different than other local government units' reports because they must publish a list of all expenditures to persons, regardless of amount. Driskell testified that a Marion County township report filled an entire page of The Indianapolis Star due to the vendor list and cost $1,000. Key blames the annual onslaught of bills attacking the concept of public notice advertis- ing on bureaucratic mindset. He explained: "It's work to check the calendar on when a public notice must be published and cross- reference the ad submission deadline of the newspaper, then do the math to make sure the publication deadline will be met. Then the public official must submit the copy, maybe check the proof, collect proof of publication and process a claim for payment to the newspaper. It would be so much easier to forward a copy of the information in an email to the state Department of Local Government Finance and forget about it. The other objection for some officials is that the notices are effective, he said. "When the public is informed, they might contact an elected official with a question or attend a public meeting and ask that question," Key said. "Life's a lot simpler for elected officials if they don't have to deal with the electorate." For some, the cost despite the state-mandated discounts for state and local government is unbearable. During Tuesday morning's hearing on H.B. 1005, Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Mount Vernon, told the committee she thought a yearly cost for the Evansville-Vander- burgh School Corporation of nearly $11,000 for public notice advertising was unreasonable. She told Key after the hearing that would pay half the cost of a teacher's aide. She thought that was a better use of funds that using public notice advertising to keep the public informed of what a school district with a $251 million budget was doing with that money. Rep. McNamara's suggestion was that newspapers should publish this information as a "public service" at no charge. When Key asked her if textbook companies or office supply vendors should be asked to do the same, she said that was different. Battles Continued from Page 1 Employee Sought Reporter — Chronicle- Tribune, 6-day-a-week newspaper in Marion. The Chronicle-Tribune is a strong six-day a week publica- tion tackling hard news issues in the community as well as offering portraits of local people making a positive difference. Full-time position is for a gen- eral assignment reporter. Must have a bachelor's degree in jour- nalism or related field. Experience desired but will consider new graduate. Please send resume to editor David Penticuff at dpenticuff@ chronicle-tribune.com Ad Director — The Elkhart Truth is a daily, print and digital media based in Elkhart and is cur- rently searching for an Ad Director. The Ad Director will be respon- sible for coaching a display sales team through continual assess- ment of performance and devel- opment of staff; knowledge and understanding of market area, awareness of trends in industry and market, and alertness to new ideas and customer needs To apply: Email your resume to: fmurry@elkharttruth.com, Ad Director Search. Truth Publishing Co., Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Multi-Media Account Executive — Indiana Media Group is hiring. If you would enjoy being part of a positive professional envi- ronment where your income is determined by your success, and if you recognize that hard work precedes rewards, apply today. Successful candidates should have: Enthusiasm and drive to get the job done; be goal-oriented and self-directed; the ability to work in excel, word and power point' the ability to keep both internal and external custom- ers happy; attention to detail; great organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize several projects at once; and above all – a positive and professional attitude. This full-time position offers base pay plus an aggressive monthly bonus program. Your earnings will be commensurate with your success! Send a resume and cover let- ter to: Mark Sheridan, Regional Director of Sales, Southeastern Indiana Media mark.sheridan@indianamedia- group.com. Post member and employee notices at hspa.com/jobs. Direct questions about posting jobs to news@hspa.com. Page 6 January 2018 "When the public is informed, they might contact an elected official with a question or attend a public meeting . . . Life's a lot simpler for elected officials if they don't have to deal with the electorate." Steve Key HSPA executive director, general counsel

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