The local bill was the latest attempt by Rep. Paul Stam, an Apex Republican, to give more municipalities the ability to advertise public hearings on their own Web sites rather than buy space in the classified section of a newspaper.

The idea has encountered objection from newspaper publishers and editors who argue that a significant number of people have Internet connections, and that government should not be the sole advertiser of public hearings.

The bill also comes as newspapers are coping with dramatic losses in advertising revenue.

More after the jump.

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A bill that would allow local governments to opt out of the requirement to advertise public hearings in newspapers has been set aside.

In its place, Rep. Paul Stam plans to push a local bill that would allow up to 14 municipalities to be excluded from the requirement, he told a House committee Thursday. The House's rules say that any more than 14 and the bill would have to apply statewide, as Stam's earlier version did. Local bills often have an easier time getting approved on the House floor.

Stam, an Apex Republican and House minority leader said his bill is meant to save cities and towns money by allowing them to use their Web sites to announce public hearings.

"I personally read five papers and enjoy them all," Stam said. "That's not where people go to find out what's happening."

NAACP and newspapers object after the jump.

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Newspaper publishers oppose a bill to allow meeting notices be posted online.

Rep. Paul Stam, an Apex Republican, sponsored the legislation to allow certain cities and counties to stop buying classified ads to announce public hearings. 

An earlier version of the bill would have exempted all local governments, but Stam scaled it back to just towns in Wake and Mecklenburg counties after it met resistance.

Stam said the bill would give government a break on its expenses.

"Let's look for the things that would save counties and cities money while we're cutting the heart out of their budgets," he said.

Publishers and editors at the N&O and the Charlotte Observer lobbied against it, saying many people don't have Internet access. (N&O)

The town of Apex saved $13,000 with online notices.

About a year ago, Town Clerk Georgia Evangelist heard that the city of Raleigh was publishing its meeting notices online.

She decided to try a similar program for the town of Apex, which is near Research Triangle Park in Wake County.

Apex and several other Wake towns got permission from a special bill in the legislature last year to publish online, instead of in the local newspaper. A bill filed this year would expand the program statewide.

Evangelist said the town still occasionally advertises in the Apex Herald and The News & Observer. It also sends letters to neighbors who may be affected.

"We still advertise in the paper when it's something we need to get our more widely, like a pre-budget hearing," she said.'

Update: Cary spokeswoman Susan Moran estimated the town spends $20,000 a year on online notices, although it still advertises in the local newspapers as well. 

A bill would allow town meetings to be publicized online.

Rep. Paul Stam, an Apex Republican, said he filed the bill to expand a local program in small towns in Wake County that allowed them to avoid expensive legal notices in the local newspaper.

Instead, the towns of Apex, Cary, Garner and Knightdale have posted notices of upcoming zoning hearings and town council meetings on their Web sites. Stam said the program saved the towns money while still getting the word out.

"Most people aren't affected by it," he said. "Most people don't care whether there's an ad in the paper or not. The purpose is to put it out there publicly so that someone who wants to know what's going on has a source to find it."

The bill would not affect all legal notices. Towns would still have to notify neighbors of affected properties by mail, and foreclosure notices and civil actions would still have to be publicized in local papers.  

In addition, Stam is considering adding provisions to help local officials determine whether they have sufficient Internet penetration.

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