City of Wichita delays vote on official newspaper

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — At the Wichita City Council meeting on Tuesday, the Council delayed a vote on removing The Wichita Eagle as the City’s official newspaper to publish most legal notices.

The Council voted 6 to 1, with Maggie Ballard voting no, to bring the item, “Charter Ordinance and Resolution Naming City Website as Official Newspaper,” back at a later date.

It costs the City about $150,000 a year to publish in The Wichita Eagle.

In addition to posting on the wichita.gov website, the City would have to print the notices for free when residents request it.

Some say the website is not user-friendly.

“My request would be if this is something we would do for cost saving to help fund some other initiatives that we know are important in Wichita, we have to make it more transparent and easy for the public to find it,” said Wichitan Faith Martin.

The Council pushed off a decision until June 4. The City’s contract with The Wichita Eagle ends in August.

In the meantime, staff will have to present a legal notice communication to the DABs for public comment, develop a plan to disseminate information on legal notices and develop a digital retention plan.