Brilliant MTL Commissioners and the Voters Violate State Law UPDATED

Mt. Lebanon residents vote to allow legal notices outside newspapers

Only 30% of us voted NO. The remaining 70% voted to permit Mt. Lebanon to use its own media for public notices. According to the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, Mt. Lebanon Media is not a reputable source since it does not meet the legal requirements. Karma's a b!tch, isn't it?

“This policy is inconsistent with both the Home Rule Charter and the Newspaper Advertising Act, which governs public notice advertising statewide,” said PNA attorney Melissa Melewsky, “because the Home Rule Charter... prohibits municipalities from exercising powers contrary to, or in limitation or enlargement of, powers granted by statutes which are applicable in every part of the Commonwealth.”

“Publishing in their own electronic distribution or in the municipal building does not meet the legal requirements. It has no legal effect. It has to appear in a paper in general circulation per the Newspaper Advertising Act,” she said.
Melewsky also said the Newspaper Advertising Act is the statute that supersedes the change to home rule charter.

It cost Mt. Lebanon residents to put this on the ballot. How much is it going to cost us, when it goes to court?  Maybe Feller and Gateway will find an answer to that too.

Read this op-ed. Mt. Lebanon charter change bad news I am really lovin' The Almanac.

And in the Post-Gazette Mt. Lebanon referendum would allow non-newspaper legal advertising

Update November 13, 2014 10:59 PM General Election 2014 Recap