Geneva ready to pay more to replace mailboxes damaged by snowplowing

Geneva is going to increase the amount of money it will pay to replace curbside mailboxes damaged by city snowplowing.

The council will vote Tuesday to raise the reimbursement rate to $75, up from the $25 rate established in 1975.

Typically what happens is the actual box is not damaged, just the post, city spokesman Kevin Stahr said. Wood posts often have internal rot, and break when hit by snow thrown off a blade, particularly heavier snow, he said. In those cases, the city will make the repair, including a new post. During 2014 - which included a winter where the area received about 80 inches of snow - the city spent about $2,000 on supplies, according to bill payments posted on the city's website.

If a homeowner wants to replace the post or mailbox themselves, they have to have the damage inspected by a representative of the public works department, and present their bill or invoice within 30 days of the incident. The city does not pay for labor or installation fees.

It is raising the rate because mailbox prices have risen. A mailbox with no post costs at least $20 at Home Depot. Rubbermaid all-in-ones cost $50 to $60.

The city gets an average 32 reports of damage each year, Stahr said.

Mailboxes will only be replaced if they were installed properly in the first place. The updated law calls for meeting U.S. Postal Service guidelines. That includes making sure the opening of the mailbox is at least six inches back from the curb, and that the mailbox is 41 to 45 inches off the ground.

For more information about the city's snowplowing work, you can watch a YouTube video called City of Geneva _ Snow Plowing Operations.