Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Township Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Trustees discuss mailbox-damage reimbursement policy after winter plowing; staff to research peer policies
Summary
Trustees reviewed the township's informal $50 mailbox-replacement practice, discussed safety and USPS-compliance limits on decorative mailboxes, and asked staff to research policies in peer communities and return with recommendations.
Trustees discussed repeated winter incidents in which mailboxes or decorative mailbox structures were damaged during plowing operations and reviewed the township’s current practice of providing up to $50 reimbursement or replacement with a standard USPS-compliant mailbox and post.
Trustee Becker and other trustees described resident complaints about ornate or brick mailbox structures being damaged in snow events. Staff said the township historically offered $35 (later increased, staff said, to $50) to replace a standard mailbox and post; staff noted that the township will not install non-USPS-compliant, fixed structures (e.g., brick enclosures) because those do not meet USPS breakaway requirements and could pose a hazard to motorists.
Staff confirmed a foreman was dispatched to repair landscaping and that the township will provide either a $50 reimbursement if residents can demonstrate damage by a township vehicle or will replace the mailbox with a standard USPS-compliant mailbox and post. Trustees requested staff research other communities’ approaches, documentation requirements and whether a different reimbursement cap or alternative process would be appropriate; staff agreed to return with recommendations.
No formal policy change was adopted at the Jan. 28 meeting; trustees directed staff to compile comparative policy options and guidance for publication on the township website.
