Bills let more N.C. local governments bypass newspaper notices
RALEIGH (AP) — More local governments in North Carolina could bypass newspapers and instead post public notices online in legislation advancing in the state House.
A pair of bills approved by a judiciary committee this week would allow city councils and county commissioners in about two dozen counties put notices for items like zoning and annexation proposals, vendor contracts and other public hearings on county-operated websites. State law otherwise requires these notices and advertisements be printed in the newspaper.
Backers of the measures, versions of which have surfaced often over the past decade, say the switch could help cash-strapped local governments cut advertising costs, The Insider news service reported.