HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 07•
January 4, 2010 Item No. 7
Legal Newspaper Designation
Proposed Action
Staff recommends adoption of the following motion: Move to designate the Dakota County Tribune as the
City's legal newspaper for 2010.
Overview
Each year the City designates a newspaper to be used exclusively for the placement of its legal notices. For
2010, bids were received for legal newspaper designation from all three local papers (Thisweek, Sun
Current, and Dakota County Tribune). The City reviews these bids and other factors to determine which
newspaper will provide the best option for City legal notices.
For many years, Thisweek newspaper had an office in Lakeville, making it the only available option for legal
newspaper designation. That changed two years ago when the local office closed. Thisweek newspaper
remained the designated legal newspaper during the past two years because it had the largest circulation
and was therefore was most available to residents. This year however, staff recommends designating the
Dakota County Tribune as the City's legal newspaper for 2010 due to its lower cost and free mailed
subscriptions.
Primary Issues to Consider
2010 Costs:
Paper Ad cost per inch
Thisweek $15.90 ($0.50 increase)
Dakota County Tribune $ 9.50
Lakeville Sun Current $ 6.39
The cost of legal ads was approximately $5,300 in 2009. The 2010 cost of legal ad placement in Thisweek is
the highest at $15.90 per column inch. Using the same amount of ad space as we did in 2009, the annual
estimated cost for legal ads in 2010 would be $5,620 in Thisweek, $3,300 in the Dakota County Tribune, and
$2,255 in the Sun Current.
Circulation:
Paper Circulation
Thisweek Free delivery to most City homes (17,000)
Dakota County Tribune 5,000 subscriptions
Lakeville Sun Current Free delivery to about 5,000 homes, limited additional copies
Availability to residents is also a consideration when making a legal newspaper designation. Although the
Sun Current has the lowest cost for legal ads, is has a very limited delivery area of only about 5,000 homes.
This limited delivery area would prevent a large section of our population from receiving legal notices.
Because the Dakota County Tribune switched to free subscriptions this past year, it is now the only
newspaper that every resident can have delivered to their home free of charge, making it the most easily
available newspaper for everyone. Subscription forms would be made available on the City website and at
City Hall, the Water Treatment Facility, and the Central Maintenance Facility.
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Susanna Palm, Communications Manager
Financial impact: None Budgeted: Yes
Related Documents include 2010 bids
Quote for City of Lakeville
OPTION A) Dakota County Tribune
Number of lines per column inch
10
Printed characters and spaces per line
Average 45
Total characters and spaces per column inch
Average 450
Per line cost
95¢
Per column inch cost
$9.50
Per column inch cost for e-mailed (Word or InDesign notices) ads
$9.00
Circulation
# 5,000
Legal notice deadline Tuesdays , 11 a.m.
OPTION B) Thisweek Newspaper Farmington/Lakeville
Number of lines per column inch
10
Printed characters and spaces per line
Average 45
Total characters and spaces per column inch
Average 450
Per line cost
$1.59
Per column inch cost
$15.90
Per column inch cost for e-mailed (Word or InDesign notices) ads
$15.40
Circulation
24,641
Legal notice deadline Tuesdays P, 4 p.m.
OPTION C) Thisweek Farmington/Lakeville & Dakota County
Tribune
Number of lines per column inch
10
Printed characters and spaces per line
Average 45
Total characters and spaces per column inch
Average 450
Per line cost
$2.09
Per column inch cost
$20.09
Per column inch cost for e-mailed (Word or InDesign notices) ads
$19.90
Circulation
29641
Legal notice deadline DCT -Tuesdays @ 11 a.m. / Thisweek-Tuesdays @ 4 p.m.
Date 12/10/2009 By
Eva Mooney
Business Manager
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Osseo, MN 55369
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Waconia, MN 55387
Stillwater, MN 55082
November 2009
City of Lakeville
City Council
20195 Holyoke Avenue
Lakeville, MN 55044
Dear City Council Members:
The Lakeville Sun -Current would like to be considered for designation as the legal newspaper for the
City of Lakeville for the upcoming year.
All published legal notices are posted on our website (www.mnsun.corrl) at no additional charge.
This is an enhancement to the local news coverage already available on the Internet and will
broaden the readership of your legal notices.
One of the main benefits of publishing your legal notices with the Sun -Current is our FREE home
delivery. Sun Newspapers has become the primary source of community news in the suburbs. Your
notices in our paper have the best chance of being seen and read.
Despite rising costs of operating our newspapers, there will be no rate increase. Our legal prices will
remain the same.
The rate structure for legals effective the first of the year will be:
1 column width: $6.39 per inch for first insertion / $3.38 per inch for subsequent insertions
Our columns are 14 picas wide. There are 11 lines per inch
Because price comparisons between newspapers are difficult due to differences in column width,
font size, etc., we would be happy to provide a price quote on an e-mailed submission.
Two notarized affidavits on each of your publications will be provided with no additional charge.
The deadline for regular length notices is 2:00 p.m. the Thursday prior to publication. E -mailing the
legal notices is an efficient and accurate way of getting the notices to us. The e-mail address for the
legals department is sunlegals@acnpapers.com. If you require more information to make your deci-
sion, please contact me or Mary Ann Carlson, our Legals Representative, at 952-392-6829.
Thank you for considering the Sun -Current as the official newspaper for the City of Lakeville for the
upcoming year. We appreciate the opportunity to serve the needs of your community.
Sincerely,
Jeff Coolman
Vice President and Group Publisher
In the Community • With the Community • For the Community