Mpls-Issues tip: please delete as much of this message's text as possible if replying to the list. Thanks! ----------- David, I carried a bill this year that would allow local units of govt in the metro area to publish by web instead of F&C and other little newspapers. The newspaper lobby had a hissy fit, going on about how people don't have access to the web, etc. Just as you expected. I kept countering with "who has access to FInance and Commerce" arguments. But the committee chair wouldn't even give me a hearing because the bill was "controversial," (don't get me started on that!). Maybe next year. But I agree with you that the cities are spending a boatload of money to pubish these legal notices. Both Mpls and St Paul, and the counties, have put them on their websites. Look at the sites and see how easy it is. When I was working at city hall, sometime between 93 and 96, the cities were allowed to publish a summary instead of the entire document. That saved the cities a lot of money. Using the web would save taxpayers even more. I'll enjoy your help next year. Linda Higgins writing from the senate floor Message: 2 Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 16:45:06 -0500 From: "David Brauer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Mpls list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Mpls] Charter commission & antiquated laws There's a fascinating piece in this weeks' Southwest Journal about the Minneapolis Charter Commission being hamstrung in repealing out of date laws (such as places for selling straw). Seems the laws run to 50 pages, and publishing them in ballot form (so voters could decide) would be prohibitively expensive. The City Council can repeal them by a 13-0 vote, but the laws still have to be published in the city's official newspaper (is it still Finance & Commerce?), also too expensive. Therefore, the city might go to the legislature (almost certainly next year at the earliest) to get an exemption from the publishing request. When/if the city does go to St. Paul, they should ask that the legislature allow them to substitute web publishing for paper publishing. That way, interested readers can see the text, just online instead of in the paper. I know what some of you are thinking - "what about the digital divide?" Well, folks, lets be real: how many of us see Finance & Commerce anyway? My bet is more folks have web access! Even those who don't can get it a public library almost as easily as finding Finance & Commerce on the street. And as a further compromise, the legislature could insist that the web address of the outdated-law document be published to alert citizens where to surf. I wonder if newspaper lobbyists would oppose this as a precedent to the lucrative official-document publishing monopoly? But as a taxpayer, I think it's time as come! Beyond cost, the web is more available than some of these obscure official publications. David Brauer King Field - Ward 10 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
