HomeMy Public PortalAboutMinutes_City Council Work Meeting_03262024 CITY OF IONA
CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING
IONA CITY HALL
MARCH 26,2024 6:00 P.M.
PRESENT: Mayor Daniel Gubler, Council President Robert Geray, Council Member Michael
Thompson, Council Member Evan Mann, Council Member Rylea Farrens, City Attorney
Andrew Rawlings, Public Works Director Zech Prouse and City Clerk/Treasurer Ken West.
ABSENT: None.
VISITORS: Kirsti Cook and Tony Glenn.
ITEMS OF BUSINESS:
Discussion of Proposed Amendments to Iona City Code § 6-4-10: Installation of Mailboxes
within Public Rights-of-Way with Iona Postmaster—Mayor Gubler stated this topic has been
discussed for a few months now and he felt it was appropriate to have it as another discussion
this month to finalize the details before proposing an amendment for approval. Attorney
Rawlings stated that after the Council's previous discussions he has drafted a repealed and
reenacted version of this section of the code. Mayor Gubler stated he and Director Prouse have
reviewed the United States Postal Service (USPS) code and it concludes that the final legal
decision for most of these matters falls to the City. He continued and stated the City will still do
their best to take the USPS standards into consideration, but ultimately the City has the final say.
Mayor Gubler continued and asked the Council the initial reason for this topic. He continued and
stated the reason was for continuity around the City and for the safety of all residents and
accessibility for City employees while maintaining the roads in the City. Council Member
Farrens asked Director Prouse if the mailboxes that are tipping over in the winter are typically
ones that are placed in the ground or not. Director Prouse stated it depends on the snow load, but
it is more common for mailboxes that are not placed in the ground to be knocked over by the
snow truck. Council Member Farrens then asked if mailboxes that are cemented in the ground
have a lower chance of being knocked over. Director Prouse stated if the post is cemented in the
ground, it will typically remain standing, but the box itself will be knocked over. Council
Member Farrens continued and stated she feels the recent amendments to this section of the code
would create issues for the poorest residents in the City. She continued and stated the residents
that have enough money to remove their cemented mailboxes and move them already have
CBUs (Cluster Box Unit) and won't be affected by this amendment. Council Member Farrens
continued explaining this point and stated she believes the Council should allow existing
mailboxes to be grandfathered in under the amended code. Mayor Gubler stated the discussion of
distance from the road was due to safety for City snow equipment and residents. Director Prouse
stated the USPS standards state that each mailbox should have a turnout with an additional 6"-8"
off the asphalt as to not obstruct the flow of traffic. He continued and stated this standard is
referenced and recommended by the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC).
Mayor Gubler stated the main concerns the City Council needs to address are the distance from
the asphalt to the mailbox, the materials allowed and the necessity for residents to come into
compliance. He continued and stated he personally does not oppose most of the materials that are
being used but agreed that some of the existing mailboxes need to be located further back from
the road for safety reasons. He then stated the mailboxes that are closer to the road should be of
breakaway material and design. Director Prouse stated the USPS and LHTAC standards are 2"
IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING - MARCH 26, 2024
and 4" posts. He then suggested the three roads that are part of the major road rehabilitation
project should have CBUs installed, rather than individual mailboxes. Mayor Gubler agreed, if
the USPS will allow it. Director Prouse stated the USPS code states the CBU needs to be located
within one block of the residence. Clerk West asked who would be responsible for paying for
and installing the CBUs. Mayor Gubler stated the City would be responsible and would include it
in the cost of the road project.
Council President Geray stated he wants to make sure the City is addressing issues that need to
be addressed and not just trying to make things easier for the City at the expense of our residents.
He continued and stated he understands that snow removal is difficult and sometimes mailboxes
are going to get hit, but if that is not the norm he doesn't know if some of the proposed
requirements are necessary. Director Prouse stated he agrees that if the City sets a distance
standard and then mailboxes are placed closer than that and get hit by the snowplow, those
residents would be responsible for replacing their mailbox. Discussion then continued regarding
the intention of these amendments. Council Members all discussed and agreed to allowing
mailboxes to be set in concrete. Director Prouse stated there have been standards set by
organizations such as LHTAC and if the City chooses to be less restrictive than those standards it
can open the City up to liability.
Mayor Gubler began the discussion regarding the desired requirement for the distance from the
asphalt to the mailbox. He stated the USPS standard is 8". Mayor Gubler stated the Council had
previously decided on 18" as the standard, but the USPS employees said that could make it
difficult for them to deliver. Mayor Gubler continued and stated the City is responsible for
removing snow from the apron of the road, but the individual homeowners are responsible for
clearing the path in front of their mailbox. Director Prouse concurred and stated the property
owners are responsible for removing all obstructions from the path to the mailbox, not just snow.
Mayor Gubler then suggested the City mirror the USPS standard of 8" minimum from the
asphalt to the mailbox. All Council Members agreed. Council President Geray stated he thinks
there should be a grandfathering clause in the amendment, but it should include the need for the
mailbox to come into compliance if the owner repairs or replaces it. He continued and stated he
doesn't feel the Council needs to create new standards and require everyone to adhere to those
immediately. Director Prouse agreed but did say there are some mailboxes that are grossly out of
compliance and should be addressed, such as those placed in buckets. Council Member Farrens
suggested posting the new changes to the City's social media pages because of complaints she
has received regarding the difficulty for residents to find information. Council President Geray
stated all this information will be available on the City's website and does not feel it is necessary
to post it on social media. He continued and stated if the office staff chooses to post a link on the
City's Facebook page to the City Code on the website, he feels that would be appropriate.
Council President Geray reiterated the need for the public to get involved and seek information.
Council Member Farrens stated a lot of residents only get information from social media and
feels updated standards should be posted on the City's social media outlets. Council Member
Thompson agreed with Council President Geray and stated a link to the website should be posted
on the City's social media but feels as though a posted summary will be misinterpreted.
Council Members then began discussing standard sizes for mailboxes. Director Prouse stated
there are standards in the USPS manual and suggested specifying in the City Code mailboxes
that are "USPS approved". All Council Members approved allowing for current mailboxes to be
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grandfathered in.
Jill Smith, Iona Postmaster, arrived at the meeting to discuss the mailbox amendments. Mayor
Gubler stated the Council is also discussing the idea of residents in older parts of Iona installing
CBUs. He continued and stated the City will be rehabilitating the roads of Free, Scoresby and
Denning Avenues, and is considering installing CBUs in those neighborhoods.
Attorney Rawlings asked to confirm the standards the City Council would like him to draft for
the updated amendment. He asked for clarification on brick/masonry mailboxes. Director Prouse
suggested no brick or masonry mailboxes unless there is a pull-out from the road. After further
discussion Council President Geray stated he believes the consensus is that brick or masonry
mailboxes should be allowed, provided additional distance from the road is achieved. Ms. Smith
stated the USPS does not allow mailboxes to be placed on narrow roads and alleyways.
Mayor Gubler asked Ms. Smith if the USPS would approve CBU mailboxes to be placed on
Free, Scoresby and Denning Avenues after the road rehabilitation project is completed. Ms.
Smith stated she will need to research the USPS code to see if they are able to change the route
and mailbox placement without approval from all the residents on those streets. Mayor Gubler
stated those roads are completely changing to a wider road with sidewalks and curb and gutter.
Ms. Smith stated she feels it is a great idea but would need to do her research and get back to the
City with a decision from the USPS. Clerk West asked Ms. Smith what the City can expect the
cost to be to purchase CBUs for these neighborhoods. Ms. Smith stated the largest CBUs can
accommodate 16 customers and require a concrete pad of 4' x 4'. Director Prouse stated there
are a total of 80 homes that would be affected, so the City would need 5 of that size CBUs. Ms.
Smith stated the cost of that size CBU is approximately $1,800, plus the cost of concrete. She
continued and stated the CBUs are more efficient for their carriers, so she would be in favor of
adding more of those units throughout the City.
Clerk West stated she has provided a copy of the updated amendment to Ms. Smith and asked if
she had any questions or additional items to discuss. She stated the main concern was requiring
residents to come into compliance with new standards at their own expense. Ms. Smith also
stated she recommends mailboxes be set in concrete for better stability. Council Member Farrens
stated the Council has decided to allow concrete.
Attorney Rawlings then asked if the Council would like to have standards in this amendment that
pertain to CBUs that are not part of a new subdivision. Director Prouse suggested referencing a
standard drawing for CBU installation and placement. Director Prouse also began discussing the
number of mailboxes allowed per support beam. He continued and stated the USPS standard is
up to 4 mailboxes per support and anything above the 4 mailboxes needs to be on a support that
is unattached to the original. Director Prouse recommended adhering to these standards that have
already been established by the USPS. Ms. Smith asked why the City would limit boxes to 4 on a
post and not allow additional boxes and posts for extra support on the same structure. Director
Prouse stated this is for the breakaway factor for any driver that could hit the mailboxes. Clerk
West reiterated that this is already the USPS standard, as Director Prouse previously explained.
Ms. Smith stated she is not aware of that standard and will do research on that also.
Council President Geray requested this be added to next month's Work Meeting agenda as
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another discussion to review the updated amendment prior to holding a Public Hearing in May
for final approval. He continued and stated there is no urgency and does not want to vote on the
amendment until it has satisfied all parties. All agreed.
Meeting Adjourned: 6:57 p.m.
COUNCIL APPROVED: April 23, 2024
Daniel Gubler, May
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ATTEST:
Keri West, City Clerk/Treasurer
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