That's what the Wausau Daily Herald is arguing. The Herald is upset that two GOP legislators are introducing a bill to remove the requirement that counties notify individuals, through local newspapers, that they may have unclaimed money.
Wisconsin voters last fall asked candidates across the state to go to Madison to help improve the economic future of the state's residents.
Local voters were no different. They underscored the importance of more jobs, smaller government and a lighter tax burden.
...The lawmakers are seeking sponsors for a bill that would eliminate a requirement that counties publish in the newspaper the names of those who have unclaimed funds with counties. The money comes from a variety of sources, including savings accounts, checking accounts, uncashed dividends, stock, uncashed paychecks, life insurance policies and such.
The paper goes on to argue that newspapers play a valuable role in informing the public on such issues, given that not everybody is tuned into the interwebs, including the county websites.
What it didn't mention, interestingly, is the revenue papers, such as the Daily Herald, get from such notices. It also didn't mention the monopoly papers like it have on public notices, since the state only recognizes papers as appropriate forums for notices if the paper is a member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Papers like Isthmus are excluded.
It's ironic that in an editorial that begins by heralding (no pun intended) the wish for smaller government and cost-savings measures, the Daily Herald concludes by saying local governments should not try to save money by eliminating an increasingly-antiquated special public notification deal they've brokered with newspapers.
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