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Lincoln County names three legal newspapers after public debate over Dakota Scout’s eligibility
Summary
After public comment and statutory questions, the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners designated the Sioux Valley News, Lennox Independent and T Weekly as county legal newspapers; the board will continue publishing in the Dakota Scout but did not designate it as a county legal newspaper.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 14 to designate the Sioux Valley News, the Lennox Independent and T Weekly as the county’s official legal newspapers, after a public exchange about statutory requirements and coverage of Sioux Falls.
The move matters because state law sets standards for which publications may serve as legal newspapers for county notices; the decision affects where county legal notices and classified legal advertisements will be published and the county’s cost for doing so.
Commissioner Schmidt moved to amend the county’s list of designated legal newspapers to include the Sioux Valley News, Lennox Independent and T Weekly, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Otten. The motion passed on a roll call vote with three yes votes and two no votes: Otten, Schmidt and Landeen voted yes; Arons and Putnam voted no.
During public comment, Canton resident Chad Skiles and Sioux Valley News owner-publisher Trista Zomer argued the Sioux Valley News met the state requirement that a legal newspaper maintain a known office of publication in the community for at least one year prior to publishing legal notices. Skiles told the commission the Dakota Scout has a legal address in downtown Sioux Falls and “can be a legal newspaper for Minnehaha County, City of Sioux Falls, but they cannot for Lincoln County.” Zomer described her ties to Canton and Lincoln County and said the paper’s business and sales tax revenue remain in Lincoln County despite printing being done out of county to reduce costs: “I do live in Canton. I own a building in Canton, pay taxes in Canton, Lincoln County. We print out of state because it's cheaper for the consumer.”
Commissioners discussed cost and reach. One commissioner said the county spent about $75,000 last year on legal classified advertising across four newspapers and argued adding another legal newspaper would increase costs; the commissioner estimated a roughly $18,000 share per paper. Another commissioner, stressing coverage of the county’s largest population center, Sioux Falls, said continued publication in the Dakota Scout helped inform the largest share of residents and supported continuing that practice even if the paper was not designated as a legal newspaper.
The board’s action designates the three local papers as county legal newspapers; the Dakota Scout will continue to receive county publications but was not designated as a Lincoln County legal newspaper because commissioners and public commenters said it does not meet the cited statutory requirement for maintaining a local office of publication in the county.
The county clerk’s office will continue publishing legal notices in the designated newspapers and may also publish in the Dakota Scout by separate arrangement for broader distribution, the board said.
Officials noted an online statewide searchable legal notice website exists for free public search of legal notices, which some commissioners raised as a transparency and cost consideration.
Votes at a glance: the motion to amend the designated legal newspapers carried on roll call, yes: Otten, Schmidt, Landeen; no: Arons, Putnam.
