Frederick joins 75-city coalition pushing Congress for single ZIP code; senators lobbied on S.4505

The Town of Frederick signaled support Wednesday for a national effort to give municipalities single, unique ZIP codes, a change organizers say would improve emergency response, insurance equity and local fiscal accuracy. Volunteer Wally Holman summarized the coalition’s work and urged the board to help gather mayoral letters supporting S.4505.

“The theme is 1 town, 1 ZIP code,” Holman told the board, saying the coalition represents roughly 75 cities and that staff and local volunteers have been meeting weekly with congressional offices. He explained the policy rationale: mismatched postal and municipal boundaries can misroute first responders, affect insurance rating calculations and dilute local sales-tax identity.

Holman said several bills were introduced in the current congressional cycle and later combined into S.4505, but the measure is stalled in the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. He singled out one committee member opposed to the bill and described ongoing outreach to that member and his staff.

Town staff said they have kept state and federal offices apprised and will continue to coordinate draft support letters for mayors across the coalition. The board did not take a formal vote on a town-signature letter during the meeting but directed staff to continue engagement and to provide materials for an endorsement if trustees choose to sign on later.