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Commission debates whether to switch legal-notice publications to locally owned Harvey County Now; decision tabled
Summary
Commissioners discussed competing proposals for 2026 legal-notice publication: Harvey County Now (higher circulation, $6.50/inch) and the Newton Kansan/Cherry Road Media (current contract, $2.25/inch); after arguing about reach, fairness and budget impact, the board tabled the selection until Commissioner Schroeder returns.
Harvey County commissioners on Dec. 23 heard public comment and staff analysis on which newspaper should publish the county's 2026 legal notices. The two options presented were Harvey County Now, a locally owned weekly with a reported circulation of 2,548 and a proposed rate of $6.50 per column inch, and the Newton Kansan/Cherry Road Media, which offered a three-times-weekly schedule at $2.25 per column inch.
Lindsay Young, co-owner and publisher of Harvey County Now, told the commission the paper submitted a full RFP, serves more readers in the county, and would deliver more "eyeballs per dollar" than the Kansan. Chad Fry of the Newton Kansan contested the fairness of how the county handled a prior contract-extension opportunity and said the Kansan had long subsidized legal notices as a community service.
Staff presented a cost comparison using prior years' column-inch totals: using 2024 county-wide usage (3,636 column inches), the Newton Kansan's bid would have cost about $7,000 in 2024 while Harvey County Now's proposal would have been approximately $23,639, a difference of roughly $15,000. Commissioners debated reach, local ownership and budget priorities; one commissioner favored switching to Harvey County Now for reach and local ownership, while another recommended keeping the Kansan for one more year to avoid the budget increase and to allow funding for services such as older-adult nutrition.
After discussion, the commission tabled the decision until Commissioner Schroeder returns; staff will bring the item back at a later meeting for final action.
