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Marion County holds first public hearing on proposal to publish legal notices on county website
Summary
County attorneys presented proposed amendments to three sections of the Marion County Land Development Code to allow legal advertisements to be posted on a publicly accessible county website as an alternative to newspaper publication; no vote was taken and a second hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16, 2025, at 10 a.m.
Marion County held the first of two public hearings on proposed changes to the Marion County Land Development Code that would allow legal advertisements to be posted on a publicly accessible county website instead of being published exclusively in newspapers.
The county attorney told the hearing the proposal would amend three sections of the Land Development Code, including the definition of “due public notice” and two procedural sections that set spacing and publication requirements for land-development and zoning notices. "It does still allow that if something should go wrong, you can still publish in the newspaper, but it does give the alternative for the website," the county attorney said.
The proposed amendments cover: adding a website option to the code's definitional language for due public notice (chapter 50); inserting the same spacing-and-publication language into section 2.4.0.4 (completion and closeout for land development code amendments); and adding parallel language to section 2.7.0.1 (applicability for zoning changes). The county attorney said the changes are intended to give the board the option to move legal advertisements entirely to the county website or adopt a hybrid approach.
The county attorney also noted procedural next steps: the second public hearing is scheduled with the Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 16, 2025, at 10 a.m., at which time staff will present an overall ordinance for the board's consideration that would set the criteria for using the website for legal advertisements.
Proofs of publication for the hearing's legal-ad notice were presented by the clerk: three legal-ad numbers (11594770, 11594752 and 11594795), all published in the Star Banner on Aug. 22, 2025. The clerk read those notices into the record before the county attorney’s presentation.
There was one brief public comment recorded during the hearing. David Tillman, identified in the record as land development chair, said only "Yeah." No substantive public testimony opposing or supporting the proposed code language was recorded at this meeting.
No motion or formal vote occurred; commissioners did not take action at the first hearing. The county attorney said the board would consider formal adoption at the Sept. 16 hearing, at which point commissioners could decide to adopt the website option, keep newspaper publication, or pursue a hybrid model.
Interested parties and anyone wishing to speak at the second hearing should note the Sept. 16, 2025, 10 a.m. date listed by staff; the county attorney said staff will present the ordinance and the criteria for use of the website at that time.
