Commissioners continue legal‑notice contract after debate over century‑old statute that limits digital options

Sam Hislop, Mesa County purchasing supervisor, proposed a contract to award legally required public‑notice posting to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel in an amount not to exceed $250,000, saying the solicitation produced only one responsive bidder because Colorado statute (periodical‑mailing qualifications) limited which publications qualify.

A commissioner criticized the statutory framework as anachronistic and costly. "This is an unfunded mandate," the commissioner said, arguing the law requires publication in a physical newspaper and excludes qualified local digital or free publications from competing. The commissioner referenced a recent bill (Digital Publication for Legal Notices) that sought to allow digital publications but was amended to preserve the physical‑paper requirement.

Craig Hall, owner and publisher of the Business Times, said his free weekly would have bid at roughly half the cost of the incumbent but lacks the postal‑service periodical classification required by statute. "There is no competition because no competition is allowed is allowed by law," Hall said, and described the expense and administrative burden of obtaining postal qualification for smaller papers.

After discussion and public comment, a commissioner moved and the board seconded a continuance. The board voted to continue consideration of the contract for one week; the motion carried 3 to 0.

Next steps: the board paused action to allow staff and commissioners to further assess whether the statute and procurement process create an unfunded mandate or if there are compliant alternatives, and to gather any additional public input.