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Neal January 2003 Page 2 Statutes section 412.831. The Roseville Review, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Minneapolis Star- Tribune, and the Sun Focus all submitted proposals. we explained in our letter of December 31,2002, Minnesota Statutes section 331A.Ol equates the term "legal newspaper" with the term "qualified newspaper." A "qualified newspaper" is one that meets certain ternlS and conditions established by section 331 A.02. Typically, when a city receives proposals from more than one qualified newspaper, a priority scheme is established by section 331 A.04. However, special legislation allows the City to deviate from this priority scheme by (1) designating "the newspaper offering to publish the notices at the lowest cost," so long as (2) for one year prior to designation, at least 25 percent of the newspaper's circulation was within the City linlits. 1997 Minn. Law Chap. 56, H.F. 356, ~ 2. At its January 6, 2003, nleeting, the City Council reviewed the four newspapers' proposals. The proposal of the Pioneer Press was the lowest in cost. A motion was made and passed to designate the Pioneer Press as the City's legal newspaper for 2003. This nlotion was contingent upon the Pioneer Press meeting the qualifications under Minnesota Statutes section 331 A.O 1. On January 13, 2003, Mayor John Kysylyczyn received a letter fronl Lillie Suburban Newspapers, the publisher of the Roseville Review. This letter offered to lower the price the Roseville Review would charge from their initial proposal of $3 .69 per colunln inch to $2.85 per column inch. The proposal of the St. Paul Pioneer Press was $3.00 per colunln inch. At the January 13 City Council meeting, Mayor Kysylyczyn proposed that the designated legal newspaper be changed to the Roseville Revi ew. Based on the foregoing, you asked the following: QUESTION Once the City Council has accepted the proposal of a newspaper to serve as the City's designated legal newspaper for a year, may the City Council change that designation? We our discussion by noting that there is very little decisional authority addressing the designation of legal ne\vspapers. However, in a 1962 opinion, the Minnesota Attorney General did address whether a village could, by resolution, substitute a newspaper as its legal newspaper in the middle of the year. Op. Att'y Gen. 471g, March 19, 1962. The Attonley General explained that although section 412.831 requires the designation of an legal newspaper at the beginning of each year, "it does not expressly forbid a change in such designation." While the statute creates an "implication that such a designation stay in effect until the next annual designation," the Attonley General concluded that in the absence of a contract with the legal newspaper, "a village retains the power to change its designation of an official newspaper at times other than the first council meeting of each year. "