The mistruth printed nearly every day in the newspaper

Each week, Suburban Realtors Alliance staff reviews local and regional newspapers for public notices about proposed ordinances that would affect the sale of real estate — new inspection requirements, sign regulations, tax changes, etc.

And many of those public notices include a misleading final sentence like this:

A complete copy of the proposed ordinance summarized above is available for examination by the public at the [newspaper] office, at the [county law library], and at the [municipal building].

The last part is true — ordinances are available at municipal offices.

But local newspaper offices barely exist anymore, and their dwindling staffs mostly work remotely. Good luck finding a back issue, let alone a proposed ordinance mentioned in a classified ad.

Law libraries — located inside county offices — might have what you're looking for. But we’ve had experiences where we left empty-handed.

Bottom line: Municipalities should always post their draft ordinances online. In the year 2022, it’s inefficient and disingenuous to say that a printed copy is available in a county library or a newspaper office — especially when it's not true.