Green Tree council designates Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as official public notice publication after legal debate

GREEN TREE, Pa. — The Green Tree Borough Council voted Feb. 3 to designate the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as the borough’s official newspaper for legal notices, ending a debate over whether the Tribune-Review still qualifies under state rules.

Council members voted in favor of naming the Post-Gazette; two members voted no. Council discussion focused on the statutory definition of a newspaper of general circulation and whether the Tribune-Review continues to serve Green Tree residents.

A council member who reviewed the state law read aloud the relevant language from Pennsylvania’s publication statute (Title 45, Chapter 3), noting the requirement that a paper be issued at least weekly and be intended for general distribution and subscription. That member said Tribune-Review legal staff had told council that subscription copies and library placements can meet the statute’s distribution requirement.

The fiscal argument for the Tribune-Review also surfaced: one council member cited lower legal-advertising line rates for the Tribune-Review ($4.45 per line) versus the Post-Gazette ($7.10 per line). Supporters of the Post-Gazette said the Post-Gazette provides broader and more accessible circulation for borough residents and online access, and they favored continuity with the borough’s previous practice.

A motion to designate the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette carried at the meeting. The minutes record that “Jen” and Ron Panza voted no; the motion passed and the council will place the designation into a resolution for next month’s meeting to formalize the change.

The council also discussed lobbying the state for changes to notice and publication laws to reflect the decline of print circulation and the rise of digital distribution.