Despite objections from two members, the city council on Tuesday approved new requirements for newspapers bidding to publish the city’s legal ads.
State law requires government bodies to publish legal ads – which can range from job openings to ordinances to special-call meeting notices, among other things – in newspapers with paid general circulation in their jurisdiction. In past years, Columbus and Lowndes County have taken bids from The Commercial Dispatch and The Columbus Packet to publish those legal ads, with the lowest bidder winning the contract for a year.
Now, the city will require those newspapers to provide independently audited circulation information or an affidavit signed by an “independent journalism expert” in order to qualify to bid for the legal ads. The change came at City Attorney Jeff Turnage’s recommendation, who told The Dispatch last week it spawned from concerns from the last council in 2025 about whether The Packet, which publishes once weekly, qualifies as a general circulation newspaper.
At the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting at the Municipal Complex, Ward 6 Councilman Jason Spears removed the measure from the consent agenda so it would be subject to discussion. Later, Spears moved to reject Turnage’s recommendation and “keep it going the same way we’ve been doing it as far as advertising,” which drew a second from Ward 4 Councilwoman Lavonne Harris.
Rusty Greene, who represents Ward 3, asked Turnage how exactly his recommendation differed from the way legal ad bidding was handled in past years.
“We can assume it, but we’ve never, in my memory, required any evidence to substantiate that the paper is (general circulation),” Turnage said, adding that state statute and at least two attorney general opinions supported the city’s right to require the additional information from bidding newspapers. “So that’s why I suggested it.”
Greene then asked Spears why he opposed it.
“In my opinion, certainly there haven’t been any type of issues that have come up … of us doing anything improperly with the way it’s been advertised in the past,” Spears said. “For us to begin imposing additional restrictions on getting local businesses to provide third-party proof is kind of a different precedent we may not want to set.”
“We hadn’t had anything come up in the past about the auditor, but they’ve been here also,” Mayor Stephen Jones interjected, referring to an ongoing and wide-ranging state auditor’s investigation of city books. “… This was just one way to make sure we are doing everything right like we should do it legally.”
Vice Mayor Ethel Stewart offered a substitute motion to follow Turnage’s recommendation, which Ward 2 Councilman Roderick Smith seconded.
“Other than an inconvenience for a newspaper to justify whatever we’re asking, that’s the only change we’re asking here, right?” Greene then asked Turnage. “Just a little inconvenience for The Packet and The Dispatch to say, ‘Here’s a form that shows this?’”
“That’s the way I view it,” Turnage replied. “I guess it could cost them something to hire a third party to review their operation and make an opinion.”
Stewart’s substitute motion passed 4-2, with Harris and Spears opposed.
Peter Imes, publisher for The Commercial Dispatch, which publishes five days per week, called the new requirements unreasonable.
“Newspaper circulation numbers are already public,” Imes said. “Every year, we publicly report our circulation information to the U.S. Postal Service under threat of perjury. Formal newspaper circulation audits cost about $10,000, which is probably more than the city’s entire required legal ad spend. Who knows what an ‘expert’ would charge, even if I was willing to open my books to one? This is an unreasonable burden, especially since The Commercial Dispatch and The Packet already meet the transparency required by federal law.”
Amid some council members’ objections to The Packet’s coverage of city officials and issues, the previous council in 2025 authorized two rounds of bidding for the legals. Both times, The Packet submitted the lowest bid, and the council reluctantly awarded it the contract on the second go-round.
Turnage told The Dispatch last week he was unaware of any objections to The Packet’s coverage driving those discussions, but he did admit council members specifically sought to keep the contract from going to The Packet.
“The questions put to me were, ‘I don’t want to award it to (The Packet). Do we have to?’” Turnage said in a Feb. 11 interview. “My answer was, if it’s a paper of general circulation, we have to go with the lowest bid. … I think we can do better by making sure.”
Also speaking with The Dispatch on Feb. 11, Jones acknowledged his own objections to The Packet’s coverage, but he denied this measure has anything to do with either newspaper’s content.
Justin Shelton, owner of The Packet, did not return a call or message for comment by press time.
Other business
In other business, the council:
■ approved purchasing Brightly Facilities Management software at a prorated amount of $3,740.86 through Sept. 30 to help the building department better manage assets in city facilities;
■ promoted Christopher Smith to patrol captain in the police department;
■ appointed Errolyn Gray to the Golden Triangle Regional Waste Management Authority over fellow applicants Sedrick Fenster and Nicolas Milam; and
■ announced Dr. William Rosenblatt, Orlando Abrams, Erin Bragg, Sammy Lee, John Bean, Jeff Farnham and Linda Gates as members of the city’s economic development advisory committee.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
