State will put ads on its website

The State of Iowa plans to put advertising on its website beginning next month. Bill Haigh of the state’s Information Technology Department says the ads are another way to raise money during tight budget times.Haigh says the state will have tight control of the ads placed on the website to make sure they’re not offensive to anyone.State Senator Joann Johnson, a republican from Adel, Is more worried about the ads making it harder for citizens to use the site.She says some magazines are popular because they don’t have ads. She says the purpose of the website is to provide information, not sell stuff. Johnson sits on the legislative rules committee that approved the use of ads on the state website.Johnson says if the ads cause problems, the rules committee will revisit the issue. Next month, another government council will consider whether to charge a fee for using the state’s web services.