Two groups representing Wyoming cities and counties have suggested eliminating some public notices in newspapers as one way to cut costs as their governmental members face a dire downturn in revenues. A legislative committee appears likely to back the idea after voting 10-3 to have a bill drafted.

The Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) and the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) floated the idea last month of eliminating the publication of meeting minutes and salaries of employees in newspapers.

The idea was immediately condemned by the Wyoming Press Association (WPA).

Douglas Budget and Glenrock Independent Publisher Matt Adelman pointed out that the county paid $385 for printing of salaries in both newspapers in August, out of a $53.5 million budget, while paying the Wyoming County Commissioners Association $19,054 a year in dues.

“If this is about saving money, I can think of some dues that should be eliminated first, but the association sure didn’t suggest that,” Adelman said.

The Legislature’s joint corporations committee asked for ideas to save money in early September, which is when the public notice suggestion was offered with others.

Converse County Commissioner and WCCA Vice President Jim Willox said the state group did not instigate the discussion, adding, “I want to make it clear that we were responding to a specific request from the Legislature.”

Wyoming state statutes require counties and municipalities to publish the names, salaries and positions of every employee, while the state and school districts print salaries and positions without names.

“Why are we publishing the name of the county employee along with their salary? There are rare cases out there where people use that information wrong,” Willox said. “Should we change how the salary was done and eliminate publishing the name? Or eliminate that publishing requirement entirely? It’s all public information, it’s not secret.”

“One of the efficiency questions answered was either don’t publish the name, and just publish position and salary, or look at it and make all government entities have the same standard,” he added.

The state press group agrees with Willox on being consistent, said WPA Director Darcie Hoffland — though it contends school districts and the state should also have to publish names, positions and salaries.

Willox said the other issue which was brought up during the corporations committee meeting last month was the question of continuing to publish meeting minutes as public notices in newspapers.

Public Notice Resource Center Executive Director Richard Karpel said it is vitally important to publish meeting minutes and salaries of public employees, so citizens know what their government is doing and how tax dollars are being spent.

“It’s especially important to run them in rural areas of the state, where more people read local newspapers and fewer have access to high-speed internet. And, of course, government employees don’t want their salaries published in the newspaper. I wouldn’t like my salary published in the paper either, but my salary isn’t paid by taxpayers,” Karpel said. “If you take the salary notices out of newspapers, government employee salaries will rise. Does anyone doubt that? That’s how government secrecy works.”

Willox said he does not question the public’s right to the information — “Everything is public record,” he said — but where things like minutes should be published. He said Converse County does “a pretty darned good job of getting our stuff out there.”

During the corporations committee, Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, moved to have a bill drafted for consideration which would remove the requirement to publish minutes and salaries from newspapers.

The motion passed 10-3.

Rep. Aaron Clausen, R-Douglas, voted against the motion, as did Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston, and Rep. Roy Edwards, R-Gillette.

“It’s always been that people want to cut what they don’t want to do,” Clausen said, adding that similar bills aimed at curbing publications in newspapers have been usually been shot down.

Clausen said the more transparent things are, the more efficient they will be — and transparency is at the root of the issue.

“It’s not that we think they’re doing something they shouldn’t be doing,” he said, “however, transparency in government is very important. Does the cost of [publishing public notices and legals] equal the efficiency of it? I would say, probably, yes.”

Karpel said people forget to think about how people consume information in a newspaper as opposed to a website.

“People find things in newspapers they didn’t expect to see. By contrast, when we’re on the internet we search for information and screen out all information we aren’t seeking,” he said. “Tons of stuff on the internet gets lost and forgotten.”