The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

When you read what I’m about to say, you’re going to think I’m a sore loser. So I plead guilty right up front. But I write on anyway because I think it’s important for taxpayers to know how their money is being spent.

Last month, The Times was invited to bid on the contract to publish legal notices for Columbia County for the 12-month period beginning July 1. Our bid was $4.95 per column inch, and our text size is 8 point font. With this bid, we would easily cover our costs make a reasonable profit.

The only other bidder was the Dayton Chronicle. Their bid was $7.15 per column inch, and their text size is 10 point font, which is significantly larger and uses up more inches for the same words.

Between the lower rate and the smaller type, a legal notice in The Times would cost about 44 percent less than the same ad in the Chronicle, with their higher rate and bigger type.

So last Wednesday the county commissioners passed a motion, 2-1, to award the contract to the Chronicle. Commissioners Dwight Robanske and Merle Jackson voted in favor, and Mike Talbott dissented.

Despite the fact that we have an office in Columbia County and cover news and do a lot of our work in the county, and that we were invited to bid, and, most importantly, that the Superior Court Judge ruled four years ago that The Times qualifies as a legal newspaper in Columbia County, both commissioners Robanske and Jackson cited ambiguity in the law, which led them to decide that The Times actually might not qualify to hold the contract, because we’re not 100 percent published in the county. (Neither newspaper is printed in Columbia County.)

Based on the volume of ads the county ran last year, I estimate that county taxpayers will be on the hook for between $5,000 and $6,000 MORE for the coming year under the contract with the Chronicle than they would be with The Times. And in future years, with The Times ineligible, the Chronicle will have a monopoly and can pretty much charge whatever they want.

So here’s the thing: If the county would maintain a competitive bidding process for official newspaper, the savings to taxpayers each year – even if The Times didn’t always win – would almost certainly be greater than the savings expected from the switch in power providers they are making (see story Page 1). And there would be no upfront cost!

If you’re a satisfied Times reader and a taxpayer in Columbia County, and you happen to run into either Commissioner Robanske or Commissioner Jackson, I encourage you to let them know whether or not you agree with their decision to spend your tax money to maintain the Chronicle’s monopoly.

In the meantime, The Times will be fine. We were again awarded the official newspaper contract in Walla Walla County this year, even though the price difference between us and our competitor (the U-B) was much smaller than in Columbia County. (Our bids to both counties were the same.)

Okay, that’s off my chest. How about the great weather we’ve had the last few days!