Fergus Falls council names Veil Journal legal publication and asks city attorney to seek court review

The Fergus Falls City Council voted to designate the Fergus Falls Veil Journal as the city’s official legal publication for 2025 and approved a separate resolution directing the city attorney to seek a declaratory judgment under state statute to determine whether the journal qualifies as a ‘‘legal publication.’’

The action follows several council members’ questions about whether the Veil Journal meets the statutory definition required for publishing official notices. Council members debated whether to delay designation until a judge had ruled; the council voted to designate the journal now and simultaneously to ask the city attorney to prepare paperwork to pursue a court determination under the statute identified by council members.

Council members said the council must balance the legal requirement to publish notices with due diligence about the paper’s status. A city attorney present urged the council to move forward with a designation while offering the option to file a declaratory judgment if members wished to seek clarity. The attorney advised the petition process could take months because of publication-notice requirements and scheduling in district court. The attorney also said the process carries legal and filing costs but did not provide a firm estimate of total fees or court costs.

"My suggestion is is to pass a resolution designating the the the Veil Journal because, I mean, the the the legal publication located in our city," the city attorney said during the discussion, recommending the council designate the journal while the legal question is resolved. A council member who supported the action said, "I will be voting tonight to make the Daily Journal our legal news paper publication tonight, but I also will be voting to go forward just with, the legal declaration to find out for sure."

Council members noted auditors review the city’s publication choices and warned that failing to have a legally qualified newspaper on file could generate an audit finding later. Several council members asked for clarity about the potential cost and timeline for seeking a court determination; the city attorney said the process involves published notice and typical court scheduling and could therefore take months.

The council approved both the resolution naming the Veil Journal as the 2025 legal publication and the separate resolution directing the city attorney to draft and pursue a petition for declaratory judgment under the cited Minnesota statute. The council also affirmed it will continue to use the Veil Journal for current publication needs while the legal process proceeds.

Next steps: the city attorney will prepare the declaratory judgment paperwork if the council pursues that action. The council will revisit the matter after any court ruling or as new information becomes available.