1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to local governmental bodies; authorizing 
  1.3             consideration of cost as a criterion in the 
  1.4             designation of newspapers for official publication; 
  1.5             amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 331A.04, 
  1.6             subdivision 1, and by adding a subdivision. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 331A.04, 
  1.9   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  Except as provided in subdivision 6, the 
  1.11  governing body of any local public corporation, when authorized 
  1.12  or required by statute or charter to designate a newspaper for 
  1.13  publication of its official proceedings and public notices, 
  1.14  shall designate a newspaper which is a qualified medium of 
  1.15  official and legal publication in the following priority set out 
  1.16  in subdivisions 2 to 5. 
  1.17     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 331A.04, is 
  1.18  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.19     Subd. 6.  [COST OF PUBLICATION.] If the cost of publishing 
  1.20  public notices would be lower in a qualified newspaper other 
  1.21  than the one designated in accordance with subdivisions 2 to 5, 
  1.22  a local public corporation may designate another qualified 
  1.23  newspaper, so long as for a period of one year prior to 
  1.24  designation at least 25 percent of that newspaper's circulation 
  1.25  has been within the local public corporation.  The local public 
  1.26  corporation may, but shall not be required to (1) solicit bids, 
  2.1   or (2) designate the newspaper offering to publish the notices 
  2.2   at the lowest cost.  For purposes of this subdivision, the 
  2.3   governing body of a local corporation may rely on the sworn 
  2.4   statement of the publisher of the newspaper, or the publisher's 
  2.5   designated representative, regarding the newspaper's circulation 
  2.6   within the local public corporation.