CITY OF POMONA
COUNCIL REPORT
March 7, 2022
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: James Makshanoff, City Manager
Submitted By: Rene Guerrero, Public Works Director
SUBJECT: INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE ELIMINATING SECTION 46-15 OF THE POMONA CITY CODE TO ALLOW PLACEMENT OF CURBSIDE MAILBOXES RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council take the following actions:
Introduce, waive further, and give first reading to the following ordinance:
ORDINANCE NO. 4312 – AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA, ELIMINATING SECTION 46-15 OF THE POMONA CITY CODE REGARDING PLACEMENT OF MAILBOXES Waive the encroachment permit processing fees for existing mailbox locations that are within the public right-of-way.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Pomona City Code Section 46-15 is in conflict with the U.S. Postal Service general policy of establishment and extension of mail delivery services to only those locations where curbside postal boxes are installed. The recommended action will eliminate the existing Code language that prevents the installation of mailboxes within the public right-of-way or curbside, and will allow existing mailboxes to remain curbside.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
PUBLIC NOTICING REQUIREMENTS: No public noticing required.
PREVIOUS RELATED ACTION: On May 3, 1976, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2774 to prohibit curbside mailboxes.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: None.
DISCUSSION: In 1976, prior to the passage of a federal bill that would eliminate or reduce door-to-door delivery of mail, the City adopted Ordinance 2774 prohibiting the placement of curbside mailboxes. Since then, Staff has applied this section of the City code on new development projects. However, the U.S. Postal Service has continued to communicate to affected residents that mail delivery would cease if mailboxes are not placed curbside. For smaller projects (addition/remodeling/renovation of existing structures) with existing curbside mailboxes, Staff would generally request an encroachment permit.
In researching the U.S. Postal Service website, Staff found Postal Operations Manual (POM) Section 631.53 that provides two delivery options if a curbside mailbox is not installed because of a local city ordinance prohibiting such installations. The options are as follows:
Centralized Delivery Service (where multiple boxes are combined in one area), or Post Office Box (PO Box).
Either option will require additional cost and reconfiguration of mailbox locations that are not practical to apply.
Staff has also researched other surrounding cities related to placement of mailboxes, and found that no other cities have a city code section prohibiting curbside mailboxes. The recommended action will eliminate the code conflict and allow existing mailboxes to remain curbside with a no-fee encroachment permit.
Prepared by:
_____________________________
Ron Chan
Principal Traffic Engineer
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment No. 1 – Proposed Ord. No. 4312 - Eliminating PCC Section 46-15 Introduction for First Reading of an Ordinance Eliminating PCC Section 46-15