All cities must publish legal notices in compliance with Local Government Code Chapter 2051. This section of the LGC provides for the minimum requirements:
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.
The City Charter also requires ordinances with a penalty be published twice within 10 days.
Several city departments are required to publish certain legal notices in a newspaper of general circulation.
The Dallas Morning News is the only local newspaper that complies with all state and local requirements. The City has contracted with The Dallas Morning News since 2016. This advertising contract is for an estimated spend of $70,000 per year for a two-year term from January 2023-December 2024 for a total of $140,000.
Failure to approve this contract would result in non-compliance with state and local regulations and a higher rate for publications. Along with the City Secretary’s Office, the following departments would be impacted: Purchasing, Planning, Parks and Recreation, Neighborhood Services, Building Inspections, Communications and Community Outreach and Environmental Health and Sustainability. This contract is at a rate of $3.10 per line, which is a savings of $10.90 (78%) over publication at the $14.00 per line base rate.