Owner of Maple Weekly urges council to keep city–publication partnership

Jenny Fish, owner of the Maple Weekly and Maple Magazine, told the council the publication exists as a community resource created in partnership with the city and asked officials not to treat its support as a start-up subsidy. "This is Baldwin City's magazine," Fish said, emphasizing that local volunteers and contributors produce content documenting city projects, events and history.

Fish disputed claims that the Maple was ineligible for legal notices and said the publication had maintained paid mail subscriptions that satisfied legal requirements before choosing to expand free distribution to maximize readership; she said the city administrator was aware of that arrangement. She framed the city–publication relationship as a partnership that preserves community history and urged council to consider that public value when weighing a modest funding reduction.

Council thanked Fish for clarifying the newspaper's status and indicated staff would include the Maple's funding among the items considered in multi-year scenarios before any final decision.