SR 05:190 - Laserfiche WebLink

Summary of Newspaper Advertising From March 2005 Through June 2005 Newspaper Cost of Ads The Tri-Vallev Herald $35,785 The Vallev Times $15,849 The Pleasanton Weekly $11,492 The Independent $ 7,561 Total $70,687 As indicated above, the cost of ads varies significantly by newspaper with the Tri-Valley Herald being the most costly. Including the cost of legal notices, which is approximately $5,000 annually, based on the above quarterly costs, staff estimates that public advertising may reach a total of $300,000 for the year. This cost does not include the cost of postage for mailing notices. Based on the above, staff has evaluated alternatives to the current practice of using all newspapers and has developed a number of options as noted below: Option 1: Retain the current practice of including all newspapers for public notices - This option would not impact current notification practices but will result in the cost estimates noted above. Option 2: Publish notices in one or two newspapers on a rotating basis - This option will reduce costs significantly but may create some confusion for the public by not being sure where and when notices will appear. Option 3: Eliminate the use of newspapers for general meeting notices in favor of the City's web site and Channel 30 - As indicated, the City is not required to publish these general meeting notices. As a result, the Council could amend its current practice of noticing the meetings in the newspapers in favor of using the City's web site, Channel 30 and focused mailed notices. This option would result in considerable cost savings but may not be fully effective in notifying the public. Option 4: Establish a practice of publishing meeting notices in the Pleasanton Weekly and use the other newspapers as needed for major items or solicitations such as commission vacancies - The Pleasanton Weekly is the only newspaper mailed to every resident and as a result, it represents the best opportunity to reach the largest number of residents. Further, the paper deals almost exclusively with Pleasanton news and events and the public is aware that this is a targeted local source of news. As a result, staff can establish practice of using the newspaper as its primary outlet for notifications. As part of this option staff would work with the newspaper to establish a standard display format (the various newspapers use different formats) and a predetermined location in the paper that can be used to publish these notices. As a result the public will be able to quickly and consistently locate City information. This option would result in considerable cost savings. SR:05:190 Page 3