Pittsburgh voters will face a quietly consequential question on Tuesday: should the city be allowed to move some legally required public notices online if the traditional daily paper ever disappears, or should those notices stay locked to ink on paper?
The proposed charter change would tweak how the city advertises certain public hearings, which are now required to run as printed ads in a "newspaper of general circulation." Backers pitch it as a narrow insurance policy in a shaky print market. Critics warn it could send residents hunting across websites and outlets just to figure out when the council is voting on taxes, zoning, or their street.
The measure arrived on the May primary ballot via an ordinance sponsored by City Council President R. Daniel Lavelle and filed as File No. 2026-0040. The bill would allow the council to publish required notices in a newspaper of general circulation or, if no such newspaper exists, via successor media that reasonably ensure public access, according to the Pittsburgh City Council. Council signed off on the ordinance in February and instructed the Allegheny County Board of Elections to put the question before voters.
The scramble started in January when Block Communications announced that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette would stop printing a physical paper, which sent city officials looking nervously for backup options, as reported by WESA. About two months later, the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism bought the paper and kept the Post-Gazette operating, according to the Associated Press. That deal calmed the immediate panic, but council members said they still wanted a standing safety valve if daily print options shrink again.
As written, the amendment is intentionally narrow. It would cover only specific special hearings, including those on salaries, appropriations and the budget, land-use and zoning changes, new or higher taxes, the creation of authorities, and changes to bidding thresholds. It would not overhaul every publication requirement in the home-rule charter. Even so, it would open the door for required notices to appear on the city’s website or in digital-only news outlets if there is no qualifying print paper. Supporters argue that flexibility could prevent delays, legal fights, and last-minute scrambles if a key newspaper folds mid-budget season.
Pushback and legal worries
Media lawyers and press advocates are less enthused about the city getting creative with notice rules. Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, told WESA that the proposal could effectively oblige residents to go on a treasure hunt to stay informed. She also questioned whether a local carve-out would square with statewide notice statutes.
Her bottom line is simple: people need a reliable, predictable, and permanent place where they know legal notices will appear, not a shifting mix of websites and publications that might change over time.
Where notices might appear
The proposed charter language name-checks the city’s official website and digital news outlets as examples of acceptable "successor media." At the same time, Pittsburgh’s print landscape is changing but not entirely vanishing.
Trib Total Media announced plans for a weekend Pittsburgh print edition this spring, while the New Pittsburgh Courier continues to put out a weekly paper, giving city officials at least a couple of local print options, according to WTAE and the New Pittsburgh Courier. Meanwhile, the Post-Gazette’s sale and subsequent newsroom reductions have continued to reshape the media landscape, a reminder of why council members decided to seek voter input, developments reported by the Associated Press and Axios.
Legal implications
Any local tweak still has to live under state law. Pennsylvania statutes define what counts as a "newspaper of general circulation" and require that many official notices be published in such outlets. Those rules sit in Title 45 and the Sunshine Act in Title 65, and they could limit how far a home-rule charter amendment can actually go. The statutory text is available from the state legislature.
State lawmakers are also considering a broader update. A proposal in Harrisburg, House Bill 1291, would allow agencies more flexibility to publish notices online or in free papers if traditional publications disappear, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
On Tuesday, the referendum will be on every Pittsburgh ballot, and all city voters, including independents and third-party voters who request the question, will be able to weigh in, per TribLIVE. A “yes” vote would give the city a backup plan to keep key hearings on schedule if a qualifying print newspaper disappears. A “no” vote would keep officials relying on existing print outlets while they wait to see what state lawmakers and the media market do next.
In the end, voters will decide whether public notices stay rooted in newsprint or move, at least in emergencies, into the increasingly digital information stream where most residents already live.
