The Fight Over Public Printing in Snohomish
A judge rules that the county treasurer has the discretion to choose which newspaper receives taxpayer money for publishing delinquent tax lists.
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Judge Penney today decided that the revenue law of 1893 gives the county treasurer discretion to select a paper in which to advertise the delinquent tax list. The question arose on the application of the 'Arrivist' for a writ of mandamus against the county treasurer to compel him to advertise the list with it, on the ground that it had been designated by the commissioners as the official county paper. The county treasurer answered that he had already contracted with the 'Tribune' to do the work at a compensation not to exceed that paid the 'Arrivist' for official work. Judge Penney held that the treasurer was not restricted to the official paper in making his selection, and so denied the application for the writ.
“The question had been a mooted one, and had been the subject of contradictory opinions from the attorney general's and state auditor's offices.”
Public notice requirements have long been a source of financial tension between local governments and the press. While the digital age has shifted how we view legal notices, the struggle over which publications hold the power—and the budget—of the state remains a central theme in local civic discourse.
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