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Polk County awards official newspaper to Fertile Journal; 13 Towns will carry delinquent and second publications
Summary
After receiving four bids, commissioners selected Fertile Journal as the county’s official newspaper and awarded the delinquent tax list and second publication to 13 Towns; board members discussed past publication performance and the need to monitor deadlines for audit compliance.
County staff opened four bids for official county publications on Jan. 6 and recommended the lowest responsible bidders. The pool included the Exponent, Fertile Journal, 13 Towns and the Crookston/Times bidder. Staff presented per‑column‑inch bids for the official newspaper, the delinquent tax list and the second publication of the county financial statement.
Commissioners discussed prior issues with meeting publication deadlines and noted new ownership at one paper. Staff recommended the Fertile Journal for the official newspaper (bid $2.40 per column inch) and 13 Towns for the delinquent tax listing and second publication (bid $2.50 per column inch). The board approved those awards by voice vote after a brief discussion about past publication performance and the need for reliable publication timelines to satisfy audit reviewers.
Staff also noted a statutory requirement that the second publication of the financial statement be in a separate publication from the first; that requirement drove the combination of awardees. The awards were approved item‑by‑item during the meeting and will be recorded in procurement files.
