The Hoosier State Press Association launched an improved online clearinghouse of Indiana public notice advertisements.
The association revamped its website for the notices – Indianapublicnotices.com – with easy-to-navigate features and a large collection of listings from across the state.
All notices at Indianapublicnotices.com also were printed in member newspapers.
Users can search notices by keyword, date, newspaper, county or city for free.
“We hope our members will use their print and digital products to spread the word to readers about this service to promote government transparency,” said Steve Key, HSPA executive director and general counsel.
Public notices are valuable from a newspaper perspective for the wealth of information they provide about issues facing a community: building projects, foreclosures, zoning, liquor licenses and much more.
HSPA is committed to making notices easily accessible, said Robyn McCloskey, president of the HSPA board of directors and publisher of the Kokomo Tribune and the Pharos-Tribune (Logansport).
“Public notices remain one of the three pillars of government transparency,” McCloskey said. “Indiana’s Public Notice Advertising Law joins the Access to Public Records Act and Open Door Law in supporting the public’s right to know how its government conducts business.”
The publication of public notices puts information about local, county and state government in places where people are likely to find it – in newspapers and on their websites, Key said.
“This results in maximum government transparency,” he said. “Indianapublicnotices.com offers another tool to track how elected leaders make decisions and spend tax dollars.”
According to Key, effective public notices are disseminated by an independent third party, are archivable, are easily accessible, and are verifiable.
“Newspapers deliver on all four elements,” Key said.
Indianapublicnotices.com also includes a link to HSPA’s online Indiana newspaper directory.
The searchable index contains information on circulation sizes, leadership, publication schedule and more.
The redesigned website features a clean look for maximum user-friendliness, McCloskey said.
“HSPA continues to invest in services that promote the public’s right to know how government operates,” she said. “This website makes statewide public notices available in one place from trusted sources – Indiana newspapers and the Hoosier State Press Association.”
