To our valued and faithful readers: The price of The Lincoln County News will increase starting Jan. 1, 2019. We have avoided this as long as possible.
The single-copy price will increase to 75 cents for the edition dated Jan. 3, 2019. Subscriptions made or renewed after Jan. 1, 2019 will be subject to the increase, going to $35 for in-county, $40 for online only, and $45 for out-of-county. Single-copy sales are subject to sales tax, resulting in a purchase price of 79 cents.
We will honor the current price for subscriptions and renewals until Jan. 1, but will only accept one-year extensions or one-year new subscriptions.
Our last price increase was Dec. 7, 2006, when the cost rose from 40 cents to 50 cents. In 2013, a change in state law saw newspapers removed from being sales-tax exempt and raised the cost for the newsstand purchaser from 50 cents to 53 cents, with 3 cents going to the state. The company absorbed the increased cost for annual subscriptions instead of passing the price increase to the subscribers.
In addition, since 2006 the periodical rates for postage through the U.S. Postal Service have increased by 20 percent for each piece and 43 percent on each pound.
Finally, when the last price increase was put in place, the minimum wage was $6.75. When this new price goes into effect, the state minimum wage will be $11 an hour, an increase of 63 percent. While all Lincoln County Publishing Co. employees make more than minimum wage, there is a cost to combat wage compression.
After 12 years of holding the price constant, it is now necessary to increase the price. As the only locally owned, printed, and published paper in Lincoln County, we appreciate your support, and our entire staff works hard to deliver you the news, happenings, and goings-on each and every week.
As we always have, we welcome and encourage your feedback. Please feel free to call us at 563-3171 or email info@lcnme.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.
