Oswego may increase reimbursements for mailboxes struck by village snow plows

The village of Oswego may increase the amount it reimburses homeowners when their mailboxes are damaged by village snow plows.

According to a memo prepared by Jennifer Hughes, the village’s public works director, the village currently reimburses residents up to $75 for mailbox damage when a snow plow strikes a mailbox.

Hughes noted that under current village code the village will only reimburse residents up to $75 if a snow plow hits the homeowner’s mailbox but does not reimburse for damage by snow coming off a plow blade.

“We only reimburse if the plow blade or other part of the truck hits the mailbox,” Hughes noted. “One of our supervisors will inspect the mailbox upon notification by a resident within three days of the event to determine the cause of damage.”

The supervisor, Hughes said, looks for signs of damage including physical signs like a scrape or dent. Supervisors also look for tire tracks, to determine where the plow was in relation to the mail box.

“There’s a number of things that we do look at,” Hughes said. Sometimes, homeowners even submit video evidence through avenues like a Ring doorbell.

Complaints of damages tend to peak, Hughes continued, when snow is wet and heavy, “as the snow itself will damage the box.”

The value of reimbursement, Hughes wrote, is limited to the cost to install a basic mailbox and post, like those available from a big box store.

Hughes also told the board that the village has had incidents where residents have installed elaborate mailboxes, and have requested reimbursement significantly higher than $75. Those requests have been denied by village staff, in accordance with the village code.

The policy, Hughes told the board, has been in place since 2008.

“At the time, we were looking at a lot of brick mailboxes being installed, and extensive costs,” she said. “Most communities face this, and top that limit somewhere between $75 and $100.”

Following Hughes’ presentation during a board committee of the whole meeting Tuesday, Jan. 11, Village President Troy Parlier asked the board for a consensus on raising the reimbursement amount from $75 to $100.

“It’s been around for a while, I don’t think $100 is outrageous,” Parlier said.

Trustee Pam Parr asked Hughes how many requests for reimbursement had been made this year.

“I just get the feeling we’re trying to solve problems that doesn’t exist,” Parr said.

Hughes said that 32 “all-encompassing” reports have been made to the public works department to date, including requests for roads to be plowed or salted.

The amount of damage reports vary from year to year, depending on the amount of snow and ice Oswego receives. In 2017-2018, Hughes said, the village received 67 reports of mailbox damage, compared to 11 in the year before.

On average, she said, the village receives 10 reports of damage actually caused by a snow plow, while the rest are caused by snow striking the mailbox.

“It really varies based on the number of events, the type of snow,” she said.

Parr supported bringing the ordinance change to a vote, but asked for more information from the village, including the cost of a standard mailbox.

As the majority of the board showed support for increasing the reimbursement amount, the measure will likely be brought back at the next meeting of the board for a vote.

Parlier said that the ordinance could be made retroactive to the first snowfall of the current season.