One of ten pieces of proposed state legislation currently receiving support from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) includes a section potentially harmful to publications such as The Newtown Bee. That bill is HB 6641, Remote and Online Provision of Municipal Services.

While affirming that municipalities should be able to “use electronic equipment to hold remote or hybrid remote/in-person meetings,” as the CCM release states, and that authorizing “town clerks and other municipal officials to accept electronic payments” seems reasonable, we cannot endorse a bill that encourages “municipalities to post legal notices on their website rather than in a newspaper.” (“…any town, city or borough which requires the insertion of an advertisement of a legal notice in a daily newspaper shall be construed to permit such advertisement to be inserted in a weekly newspaper or, if such provision applies to a town, city or borough, posted on the Internet web site of the town, city or borough” as spelled out in HB 6641.)

The CCM notes, “the pandemic has demonstrated that residents go to municipal websites” for information, but this tiny bit of legislation would rub salt in the wounds of local newspapers struggling to remain viable and reliant on every piece of advertising to do so. Municipal websites may be a source for information, but community newspapers remain a demonstrated reliable source for trusted news — and legal notices. Take away advertising on any level and be complicit in the dwindling of small publications.

The New York Times recently reported that “In 2019, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order directing city agencies to spend at least half of their advertising budgets in community newspapers and websites.” That program proved substantially beneficial to news organizations as advertising dipped due to the pandemic in 2020. How unfortunate that municipalities across the nation did not follow in these footsteps.

Legislators should not support HB 6641 as it stands, and it appears we can count on our delegation to support local news. Rep Mitch Bolinsky has suggested to his colleagues Reps Tony Scott and Raghib Allie-Brennan, as well as to Senator Tony Hwang, a “friendly amendment” supporting municipal online postings in addition to “customary print placement,” which is as it should be. First Selectman Dan Rosenthal notes that allowing these notices to be legally posted on municipal sites could be beneficial — if print deadlines are inadvertently missed.

This hometown paper would like nothing more than to continue to give readers the information critical to a progressive, growing town. Advertising by local businesses, individuals, and the town is appreciated, not only for the enlightenment ads bring to residents, but because it is the foundation of offsetting ever-increasing costs of production. The Town of Newtown has been a staunch ally of The Newtown Bee for generations. Local support in protesting this bill is certainly welcomed.

Should HB 6641 move forward as proposed, we recognize that it does not require municipalities to jettison print notices, but opens the option to do so. Knowing that every town, as a good business should, scrutinizes all costs, how simple then will it be to draw a line through the price of a small legal ad or three? Pinching pennies in this case could have an unpleasant side effect of news agencies having a lessened ability to produce the news that keeps towns alert and entertained.

Though there remain just days of this session left, it is not too late to ask your state legislators tony.hwang@cga.ct.gov; tony.scott@cga.ct.gov; mitch.bolinsky@housegop.ct.gov; raghibbrennan@gmail.com to demand removal of this section of HB 6641 before another thread of survival is pulled from the tapestry of community news.

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