Readers, if I haven’t told you lately, you are appreciated. The percentage of people, in general, who read anything regularly to stay informed, is less now than ever. But it has always been the case that some read and share their knowledge with others, which then spreads like wildfire. This is good for communities and is a great argument for how powerful one printed newspaper in a community can be. He or she reads, goes to work or church or school or a social event and shares. Many hear the information and then go home and share some more. If the information is intriguing, the spread can go on for days, weeks, or months – all because one person chose to read.
The same can happen, of course, with information from any source that is incorrect and/or misunderstood. This leads to the reason for writing to you today.
The legislature passed a law making a change in Public Notice in Texas. It states that if a county does not have a qualified print newspaper, a municipality, county, or school is only required to make their public notice available digitally. This law was made to help those people in what is commonly referred to now as “news deserts.”
Thankfully, our county is not a news desert. We do have a community printed paper going strong and providing public notice to readers. Because we understand the diverse way the public is getting news in 2025, we also put all Public Notices on our website easttexasnews.com. Here you can see all legal notices from every county in Texas. It is a statewide searchable database that we are extremely proud to be a part of, and it helps us stay in compliance with the state of Texas also.
We are committed to providing a community newspaper. And as always, our local municipalities, schools, and counties are required to place their Public Notices in this newspaper of record for the county for you to read.
I have included below specific details from the law for your information. Feel free to reach out to me anytime. I love to hear from you. My email is kelli@polkcountypublishing.com.
Public Notice – Type of Newspaper Required
Sec. 2051.044. TYPE OF NEWSPAPER REQUIRED. (a) The newspaper in which a notice is published must:
(1) devote not less than 25 percent of its total column lineage to general interest items;
(2) be published at least once each week;
(3) be entered as second-class postal matter in the county where published; and
(4) have been published regularly and continuously for at least 12 months before the governmental entity or representative publishes notice.
(b) A weekly newspaper has been published regularly and continuously under Subsection (a) if the newspaper omits not more than two issues in the 12-month period.
(c) This section does not apply to the publication of a notice to which Section 2051.0441 applies.
Sec. 2051.0441. TYPE OF NEWSPAPER REQUIRED FOR PUBLICATION IN CERTAIN COUNTIES.
(a) This section applies only to a notice published by a governmental entity or representative in a county:
(1) with a population of at least 30,000 and not more than 42,000 that borders the Red River; or
(2) that does not have a newspaper described by Section 2051.044 published in the county.
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-1), the [The] newspaper in which a notice is published under this section must:
(1) devote not less than 20 percent of its total column lineage to general interest items;
(2) be published at least once each week;
(3) be entered as periodical postal matter in the county where published or have a mailed or delivered circulation of at least 51 percent of the residences in the county where published; and
(4) have been published regularly and continuously for at least 12 months before the governmental entity or representative publishes notice.
(b-1) In lieu of publishing a notice in a newspaper under Subsection (b), a governmental entity may publish a notice in a digital newspaper if that digital newspaper:
(1) has an audited paid-subscriber base;
(2) has been in business for at least three years;
(3) employs staff in the jurisdiction of the governmental entity;
(4) reports on local events and governmental activities in the jurisdiction of the governmental entity;
(5) provides news of general interest to people in the jurisdiction of the governmental entity; and
(6) updates its news at least once each week.
(c) A weekly newspaper has been published regularly and continuously under Subsection (b) if the newspaper omits not more than two issues in the 12-month period.
