Colfax moves to validate physical addresses in USPS system to fix E‑911 and delivery problems
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Summary
The council unanimously approved a resolution directing staff to work with the U.S. Postal Service Address Management System (AMS), the FCC and the city's congressional office to validate Colfax physical addresses in the USPS database. Council members said mismatches between local addresses and AMS cause E‑911, mail and delivery errors for resi
Colfax City Council unanimously approved a resolution directing city staff to pursue validation of local physical addresses within the U.S. Postal Service’s Address Management System (AMS) to reduce E‑911 and commercial delivery problems.
Background: Council member Trinity Burrows explained that portions of Colfax remain classified as PO‑box delivery by the USPS AMS, which causes address validation failures for cellular providers, online retailers and other vendors that rely on AMS as an authoritative source. “This has become a more concerning issue…cell phone providers that have not already substantiated a physical address as being valid are rejecting E‑911 addresses within the city limits,” the sponsor said.
Why it matters: Council members and residents recounted instances where packages were delivered to the wrong town, emergency dispatch mapping produced incorrect cross‑jurisdiction results and county parcel or tax mailings were misrouted. Staff noted that some carriers (for example UPS) use internal maps that had been manually corrected but many rely on AMS.
Council action: The council directed staff to work with USPS AMS, the FCC and the city’s congressional office to validate physical addresses, provide updated GIS/parcel maps where appropriate, and coordinate with public‑safety agencies and carriers to correct dispatch and delivery systems. The motion passed unanimously.
Next steps: Staff will compile and send validated address maps to AMS and follow up with carriers that rely on AMS; council members indicated they would also coordinate with regional public‑safety dispatch systems to confirm CAD/CAMA alignment.
Public comment: No members of the public spoke on the item; staff and council members noted the practical benefits to residents and businesses if AMS validation is completed.
