Council weighs switching official legal paper to Spokesman-Review; staff seeks consensus

City Attorney Kelly Cochrane and Marcy Patterson (city clerk) presented options for the city's official legal newspaper of record, recommending the Spokesman-Review to address deadlines and broaden audience reach. Cochrane and Patterson explained the Spokesman-Review proposed an initial line rate of $1.57 with online inclusion and a waived first-insertion affidavit fee, while the Valley News Herald offered a lower per-line rate of about $0.90 but charges per-publication service fees (about $10) and posts some notices under the Cheney Free Press system.

Patterson told the council daily publication and shorter turnaround were "imperative" for staff to meet publishing deadlines tied to planning and permitting. Council members asked about typical line counts and monthly frequency; staff said weekly legal publications typically produce a minimum of five notices per week and that line lengths vary widely depending on project complexity.

Councilmembers discussed localism, historical practice and cost. Several councilmembers, including Merkel and public commenter Mike Patton, voiced preference for keeping legal notice work with the local Valley News Herald; others emphasized broader reach for critical notices. Staff sought consensus to move to a resolution naming the Spokesman-Review as the city's legal paper and indicated a possible January transition date; the item will return as a formal resolution for council action.