Title 43. Public Printing and Advertisements

Chapter 4. Official Journals of Political Subdivisions

Part II. Official Journal of Other Political Subdivisions

43:171     Selection of newspaper

A. (1) Levee, drainage, subdrainage, road, subroad, navigation, and sewerage districts, or other political subdivisions of the state and parishes, shall have the proceedings of their board and such financial statements required by and furnished to the legislative auditor published in a newspaper. The newspaper shall be selected at their first meeting in June of each year for a term of one year.

(2) The newspaper:

(a) Shall have been published in an office physically located in the political subdivision for at least five years prior to its selection.

(b) Shall not have missed during that period as many as three consecutive issues unless caused by fire, flood, strike, or natural disaster.

(c) Shall have maintained a general paid circulation in the district or political subdivision for five consecutive years prior to the selection.

(d) Shall have been entered in a U.S. post office in that district or political subdivision under a periodical permit in that district or political subdivision for a period of five consecutive years prior to selection.

(3) If there is no newspaper published in the district or political subdivision, a newspaper published in the parish in which the board is domiciled for five consecutive years prior to selection shall be selected provided that it meets the other qualifications contained in this Section.

B. The provisions of this Section relating to the five-year requirement shall not contravene any contract existing between any governing body and a newspaper on and prior to May 11, 1970; nor shall the five-year requirement herein be applied in assessing the qualifications of a newspaper which was in existence on May 11, 1970; nor shall any provision of this Chapter prohibit a publication from becoming an official journal in Jefferson or Orleans Parish if the publication is qualified to publish judicial advertisements and legal notices in Jefferson or Orleans Parish or has actually published official proceedings within one year prior to June 1, 1986, of any municipal corporation, parish council, police jury, or school board within Jefferson or Orleans Parish.

C. If no newspaper is published in an office physically located in the district, political subdivision, or the parish of the domicile of the board which meets the requirements of this Chapter, a newspaper published in an office physically located in an adjoining parish may be selected, which has a general paid circulation within the limits of the district or political subdivision and which meets the requirements of a newspaper as defined in R.S. 43:140(3).

Amended by Acts 1986, No. 378, § 1, eff. July 2, 1986; Acts 1997, No. 422, § 1; Acts 2011, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 36, § 1; Acts 2014, No. 197, § 1, eff. May 22, 2014.