Tuesday, DECEMBER 23, 2025 |
Photo – Carbon County Comet logo – Courtesy Carbon County Comet
Carbon County officials have delayed selecting an official publication for legal notices in 2026.
Wyoming state law 18-3-519 requires that all government legal notices be published in a newspaper that has printed at least one edition every week for a year and has a minimum circulation of five hundred paid customers.
This year, three newspapers submitted bids to become the official publication of Carbon County for 2026: The Rawlins Times, The Saratoga Sun, and The Carbon County Comet, which held the role in 2025 despite some controversy with the selection.
After the Comet was selected as the county’s official publication last year, the Saratoga Sun filed a lawsuit against the County Commissioners and the Comet, alleging that the rival newspaper did not meet the statutory definition to publish legal notices.
At the time, Saratoga Sun Operations Director Joshua Wood argued that the United States Postal Service requires an official publication to deliver at least half of its copies to subscribers.
Considering that most copies of the Comet are found for free around the county, Wood said the publication did not meet the legal requirements to become Carbon County’s official newspaper.
The legal battle continued until this October, when a judge dismissed the case. The Platte Valley‑based newspaper not only lost the court case. It also lost an advertiser. Because of the lawsuit, the Carbon County Republican Party announced that it would no longer use or remit any funds to, the Saratoga Sun.
The process for this year’s official publication selection process appears to be less contentious. The same three newspapers submitted bids to carry the county’s legal notices in 2026. The Board of Carbon County Commissioners opened their sealed bids during the December 16th meeting. All three publications were asked the same questions, such as price for different types of advertisements, number of subscribers, and how Carbon County focused they are. Commission Chairman Travis Moore read the submissions in the same order they were opened, the Carbon County Comet was first.
Comet subscriptions are broken down into 681 individuals and 21 commercial, or business subscribers. The newspaper is published on Saturdays, with all advertisements due by noon on Tuesday before publication.
The newspaper was asked what percentage of stories from the previous year were focused on Carbon County. The publication reported that the figure was 61 percent. Each bidder was asked to detail how many stories were about specific areas of the county. Chairman Moore read the Comet’s response.
In its official bid documents, the Comet reported having two staff reporters living in Carbon County, both assigned to cover the area, and said it would extend the contract for another year at the Board of Commissioners’ discretion.
Next, Chairman Moore read the bid submission from the Rawlins Times.
Rawlins Times subscriptions include 461 individual accounts and 74 vendor copies, with no commercial subscribers. Publication dates are set for Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Like the Comet, the Rawlins Times was asked what percentage of its 2025 coverage focused on Carbon County. The newspaper responded that it prints two county‑specific stories per week, one in each edition. Chairman Moore then read the Times’ breakdown of how many stories were published about each area of the county.
The Rawlins Times reported having three staff members living in Carbon County. However, none of them are assigned to cover the county specifically.
The Rawlins Times also indicated it was open to extending the contract for another year if selected as the county’s legal publication.
Finally, Chairman Moore read the bid submission from the Saratoga Sun.
The Saratoga Sun reported 529 individual subscriptions, 251 vendor copies, and no commercial accounts, with a Thursday publication date and a deadline of noon the preceding Monday.
Chairman Moore said the portion of the bid document detailing the percentage of Carbon County–specific stories had not been completed. However, when asked what type of articles it publishes, the Saratoga Sun responded that every staff-written story is about Carbon County.
The Saratoga Sun reported that all its staff reporters live in Carbon County and cover the county exclusively but did not provide the number of employees. Like the other two bidders, the Saratoga Sun indicated that, if selected, it was open to extending its contract with the county for another year.
Chairman Moore added that the Saratoga Sun’s bid was neither signed nor dated.
When asked for her input on the matter, Commission Vice Chairwoman Gwynn Bartlett said she would like more time to review the bid submissions. Commissioner John Espy concurred and said he needed a breakdown of the type of advertisements the county places each year to ensure both the county and residents are getting the most for their money.
Commissioners Sue Jones and John Johnson agreed that more time was needed. The decision was postponed until the January 6th meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners. In the meantime, County Clerk Lisa Smith will compile the information the Board requested.
