Peoria County paid the Journal Star more than $80,000 last year to publish the assessment changes for every taxable property in the county.
That wasn't by choice. State law requires counties to print those reassessments in a newspaper of broad circulation every four years.
Peoria County Administrator Scott Sorrel said allowing counties the option to instead publish that information on their websites could save taxpayers money.
"The county's theme is truly centered on giving Peoria County and county governments across the state more tools in our toolbox to better serve the people that live, work, visit, and recreate here," Sorrel said.
The county also pays an additional $10,000 to $15,000 in off-years to publish lists of properties with changed valuations, said Sorrel.
State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, said he's open-minded about the idea, but not sold on it yet.
"I understand why you want to save money on that," he said. "But I also think it's very important that we have a record established forpeople to have easy access to everything that is going on."
The county says if the Journal Star continues to lose subscribers, it could be argued that it will soon no longer even qualify as a newspaper of broad circulation.
Allowing local or county governments to publish public notices electronically rather than in a newspaper is a long-time stance taken by the Illinois Municipal League and other government associations.
On the other hand, trade groups like the Illinois Press Association argue that newspaper publication requirements are important for citizen access and ensuring government transparency.
