By NATE KING
Salina Post
During this week's Salina City Commission meeting, commissioners took the first step necessary to move public notices to the city's website- approving a charter ordinance.
At the Aug. 14 meeting, commissioners voted 5-0 on first reading of Charter Ordinance 42.
Background Information
During a July 24 city commission meeting, Commissioners were briefed on options for designating alternates to The Salina Journal for official city newspaper notices.
Following the July 24 meeting, commissioners directed city staff to prepare a proposed charter ordinance, which would exempt the city from the Kansas Statute that requires print publication of notices.
During its meeting Monday, the Salina City Commission voted, on first reading, to charter out of a Kansas statute requiring it to publish legal notices in a print newspaper.
Salina Assistant City Manager Shawn Henessee said if passed, the charter would not impact the listing of The Salina Journal as the official city newspaper.
"This is merely a precursor step," Henessee said. "This charter ordinance continues to leave the Salina Journal as the official city newspaper until such time that you, by adopting a resolution, designate the city website or some other paper as the official city newspaper."
The charter will be read a second time and voted on at the commission's Aug. 21 meeting. If the commission decides to pass the charter on second reading, the ordinance will be published and the public will have 60 days to petition before the ordinance goes into effect.