This letter regards the 12/23 Ravalli County Commissioners 5-0 vote to pay a lot more money in 2016 to place County Display and County Legal ads in fewer circulated newspapers.
For instance, with the quote from the Bitterroot Star, $3,000 would buy 1,000 column inches of 2016 Display Ads about the upcoming Federal, State and County Primary and General Elections. However, with the quote from the Ravalli Republic, $3,000 would buy only 557 column inches.
I encourage people to go to audio/video of the 12/23 meeting of the County Commissioners! Be prepared; lots of their statements are softly spoken, and are hard to hear. And hard to understand, when they seem vague, muddled, ill prepared and sometimes confused.
Oh, how easy it would have been, if a month ago the Chairman or any of the five County Commissioners would have spoken up, and said something like: ‘Remember, a Judge has recently prompted us to follow the Law, employ reasons and act to inform the public that they might have opportunity to participate with government. There’s certain work we Commissioners have to do weeks before we open the Sealed Bids from the Ravalli Republic and the Bitterroot Star.’
With costs and benefits in mind, after we open the Sealed Bids from the Star and the Ravalli Republic, first thing on the agenda should be our discussion about the sworn publication numbers. Then a Contract for 2016 Display Ads, especially the cost of running Display Ads. Lastly, a Contract with one of the competing Bids for printing/publishing County Legal Notices.
Even if the Ravalli Republic quotes a slightly lower price, we would need very good reasons to print election notices in that newspaper with maybe one half of the circulation of the competing newspaper, the Bitterroot Star. Our job is to be fiscally responsible, not fiscally irresponsible.’
In the bids, the Ravalli Republic states that 2,999 copies are carried by mail and sold from newspaper racks.
The Bitterroot Star states that 6,876 copies distributed, 295 by mail, 3,100 from free news stands distribution boxes, 3,481 by free home delivery.
The Bitterroot Star quotes $3.00 per column inch of Display Ad, reduced to $2.50 for subsequent insertions of same ad.
The Ravalli Republic quotes $5.39 per inch of column for Display Ads. Ravalli Republic Display Ads would cost about 180% more than the Bitterroot Star quote. The Commissioners could put 2,000 column inches of Election Notices and Voting information in the Star for $6,000. 2,000 column inches in the Republic would cost $10,780.
Or, Ravalli County could spend $6,000 for Display Ads for the 2016 Elections in the Ravalli Republic, and get only 1113 column inches printed/published. That’s as opposed to $6,000 expended to put those ads in the Bitterroot Star which would result in printing/publishing 2,000 column inches.
The Bitterroot Star bids $2.00 for each 100 words of the first insertion of a County Legal Notice. Additional insertions were bid at $.50 per 100 words.
The Ravalli Republic bids $2.85 for each 100 words of the first insertion of a County Legal Notice. Additional insertions were bid at $2.70 per 100 words.
Take a break from this too long letter and watch the Board of Commissioners! See anyone writing down numbers? Comparing numbers? Notice the slow moving confusion, lack of preparedness, and not even having a list of costs.
In short, choppy phrases, the old question is alluded to: ‘How many copies of the Star are taken out of the free distribution boxes and straightaway put into trash?’ Do listen carefully to the conversation that follows.
(I did not hear a single Commissioner express the obvious. Something like: “If we are to inform the public in order that they might participate in government, then I will vote in favor of awarding the Display contract to the Bitterroot Star. To vote otherwise would be seen as an intentionally gross example of failure to inform the public and residents of Ravalli County!”)
Few minutes later at 10:55-6, J.R.’s motion to award the Legal Ads contract to the Ravalli Republic is approved by a 5-0 vote with nil discussion.
At 11:04 J.R.’s motion to award the Display Ads contract to the Ravalli Republic is approved on a 5-0 vote with nil discussion.
In my opinion only, what happened was all too clever. Neglect and misconstrue the sworn publication/distribution numbers. Then first look at the small contract. The one for Legal Ads. Chairman presents three assertions, without common sense response, as to drawbacks of placing Legal Ads with the Star. Then vote to award the 2016 Legal Ad contract to the Ravalli Republic. Then with the same logic, vote to award the 2016 Ravalli County Display Ad contract to the Ravalli Republic.
1. Time delay assertion. Given the significantly lower cost of the Bitterroot Star 2016 quote, the County could well afford to pay for an applicant with a hardship need for a Legal Ad that requires print notice in the Republic, before possible notice in the Star. (And, as reportedly happened, an applicant did and could print a Legal Notice at their own expense in the Ravalli Republic.)
2. Inefficiency assertion. The businesses of Ravalli County group or bunch their Display Ads to appear in next week’s Star. Just how inefficient is it for Planning to group their Legal Ads for next week? Sorry, no evidence provided; just an assertion. How many Planning Department ads on the list brought into the room? A strong Chairman might have responded: “Let’s look at the list J.R. Iman just brought in. How many dollars of ads have been placed this year by the Planning Department with one full time Planner!” (Less than $300 from what I saw on a later released list.)
3. Non-performance assertion with limited evidence. Two County print orders sent to Star on Friday, but not confirmed, and only one order printed. Well, what steps were taken by County so that would not happen again? Try and send print orders on Thursday?
After all, to ensure that the Commissioners fulfill their responsibility for State requirements to post Legal Notices, perhaps the County should double check and confirm that an email order is filled and the Legal, or Display Ad is laid out and ready to send to the printer.
(Of course the Commissioners perhaps had discovered, but failed to mention to the public, that the unconfirmed print order glitch happened only once, amidst some 80+ successful County insertions into the Bitterroot Star newspaper.)
Of course, the Commissioners have become habituated to ignoring the obstacles to their vision and have become ritualized in focusing on perceived slivers in the eye of the Bitterroot Star. How childish! How unprofessional! But much more importantly, how neglectful of their duty and mandatory duty!
For instance, I conclude that those assertions without common sense responses are in fact not reasons, but are lack of reasons for the 5-0 vote to place 2016 Ravalli County Legal Ads in the newspaper that charges more but has less circulation.
To my mind, the Commissioners made that decision in a manner that appears to be arbitrary and capricious and certainly fiscally irresponsible.
On the other hand, maybe some of the Commissioners have it in their perceptions and thinking minds that it is they who are being assaulted, victimized and ridiculed.
However, from what I can tell of last year’s two court decisions, it is the Commissioners that made ridicule of the Law by pretending as if Montana Law does not apply here in Ravalli County. It was the Commissioners who assaulted the right of the public to be informed of Commissioner deliberations. It was the Commissioners who acted to reduce the ability of an informed public to participate with government. It was the Commissioners who failed to consider reasons for making decisions. Additionally, it was the Commissioners missing important deadlines on participating in trail usage on USFS Land, also for enabling establishment of the Local Government Study Commission. It was the Commissioners who failed to inform the public of the upcoming switch to allow people to apply for Building Permits within a newly defined floodplain. As I see it, the Commissioners continue to under inform Ravalli residents about critical events in the governance of Ravalli County.
Whom all are of the mind that the Board of Commissioners are being victimized by the two recent court decisions responding to activities of the Commissioners? Activities like keeping the public uninformed. Like presenting sub par reasons and limited evidence. Like not taking care to follow Montana Law. Like fiscal irresponsibility. Activities that got busted twice this year by District Court interpretations of Montana Law.
From what little I have gathered, what most people want are 2016 Commissioner candidates to transition away from activities involving sub par unprofessional reasonings while taking away the public right to know. Those activities sometimes accompanied by casual disregard for Montana Law. What people may well want are Commissioner candidates without childish delusions about combating the locally published newspaper. Delusions mixed in with the grandeur of sustainable one party governance of Ravalli County.
So the Commissioners decided to neglect their duty, maybe their mandatory duty, and shoot away, and take some market ground away from the messenger, The Bitterroot Star.
And deviously, the Commissioners continued to casually neglect law and order, by pretending to engage in preparation for later participation in a likely intended to be, grossly neglectfully under informed discussion to award both newspaper contracts to the high, high bidder. The newspaper published mostly out of county, with the likely fewest newspapers in circulation.
Basically, I suggest the Commissioners follow their oaths, get informed and soon vote again. This time in accordance with Montana Law to help serve the public interest. In part by providing information necessary and sufficient to the allowing of public participation with governance here in Ravalli County.
Bob Williams
Stevensville