Wilton’s Board of Selectmen just updated the Town’s policy on mailboxes damaged by municipal snowplows.
Officials have clarified that the Town will only be responsible for damage caused from a direct hit by a plow — and not from the force of pushed snow.
According to the policy,
“The Wilton Public Works Department will be responsible for the replacement of mailboxes that are damaged by direct contact with the snowplow apparatus.”
“The Department is not responsible for damage caused by snow discharged from the plow as it passes by. Snow discharge is a normal function of snow removal operations. It is not possible for plow operators to avoid or moderate this effect.”
The policy goes on to state that the onus is on the homeowner to ensure their mailbox is hardy.
“It is the property owner’s responsibility to use sturdy materials capable of withstanding the heavy snow loads commonly encountered in Wilton.”
Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker emphasized that the Town will do the right thing and replace a mailbox struck by a plow, but says there’s “a lot of misunderstanding.”
“It is winter, we do live in New England,” he said. “Most towns have an exclusion [in their policy] for when a mailbox post is old or the wood is rotted away.”
When the snow is simply the “final push” that knocks a weak mailbox over, the Town won’t be responsible, Knickerbocker said.
The policy also states that homeowners must notify DPW within seven days from the date of the storm to be eligible for repair or replacement. DPW will inspect the mailbox and post to determine the cause of damage and whether it was due to the plow operator or a flawed mailbox.
Residents should be aware a replacement will be “a standard steel mailbox with a wooden post” and not identical to what the homeowner may have had.
Officials plan to include language that indicates a homeowner could opt to pay the incremental cost for a replacement of their choosing.