With The Pulse ending, Brentwood committee weighs how to publish public notices and reach residents

City staff told the Communications Committee that The Pulse, a local publication used for city advertising and public notices, will cease publication after December 2025 and that the city must plan alternate methods to publish legally required notices and to reach residents.
Michelle, communications manager, said the city spent $8,100 on Pulse advertising in 2024 and $3,100 through May of the current year. She and the city administrator surveyed peer cities and found many use county publications for legal notices and their own in-house newsletters for resident outreach.
The nut graf: committee members examined the legal requirement for publishing quarterly financial statements and other notices, asked staff to confirm state law requirements, and discussed practical distribution alternatives including the county legal paper, an in-house printed quarterly newsletter, the city's e-newsletter and placement of third-party papers (for example, the Webster-Kirkwood Times) in municipal lobbies.
Staff reported on the reach of the city's e-newsletter: year-to-date there are 655 email subscribers; the city has delivered 15,605 e-newsletter messages since January with an open rate of 63.7% and a click rate of about 3% — figures staff said exceed national open-rate averages.
No formal action was requested. Staff said they will consult the city attorney and state law to determine whether any ordinance changes are required and will identify an approach to post required materials (county paper, quarterly print newsletter, or in-house options) after The Pulse stops printing.