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Glendale council approves resident survey as part of ongoing ZIP-code appeal and federal advocacy
Summary
After extended debate and public comment, the Glendale Common Council approved a city survey to gather resident input on a proposed ZIP-code consolidation and to support ongoing appeals to the U.S. Postal Service and related congressional legislation.
The Glendale Common Council voted to approve a citywide survey to gather resident input on a pending ZIP-code boundary appeal and a multi-city federal bill that would direct the U.S. Postal Service to designate single ZIP codes for affected communities.
Mayor Kennedy described a packet and supporting documentation mailed to USPS on Sept. 5, 2024, and said the city later received a denial letter claiming the city had not submitted supplemental material. "I personally believe that Glendale should have 1 ZIP code for the entire city," the mayor said, and told councilors she had taken the packet to members of Congress while attending the National League of Cities congressional summit.
Councilors and residents raised technical and fairness questions about the survey: how to verify respondents’ residency, whether third-party databases that default addresses to Milwaukee would respond to changes in USPS records, and whether a preferred "last line" in USPS databases could address tax and insurance issues tied to ZIP codes. Staff said the survey would be hosted on the city website, included in a newsletter, and mailed on request to residents who do not use computers; controls such as requiring a ZIP-code field and an email address were discussed but not guaranteed to prevent nonresident responses.
Motion and result: Alderman Shaw moved to adopt the survey and direct staff to publish it online and make it available in hard copy; the motion was seconded by Dougherty and passed by an announced voice tally of 4–1.
Why it matters: Councilors said a consolidated or reconfigured ZIP-code arrangement could reduce mistaken sales-tax assignments, improve ballot handling and delivery speed for local absentee ballots, and affect insurance and marketplace databases that use ZIP-code data. The survey gives staff and the council a broader evidentiary base before sending any revised appeals or letters to USPS or before taking further federal advocacy steps.
What’s next: Staff will post the survey (open into early January), include instructions in the next newsletter, accept mailed requests for paper copies, and will return to council with survey results and potential next steps, including a follow-up letter to USPS or possible engagement with the federal bill coalition.
Provenance: topicintro: SEG 444, topfinish: SEG 1356
