How Much is Your Mailbox Worth?

The next time a Buffalo Grove snowplow runs into your mailbox, you could receive a larger reimbursement from the village.

Residents whose mailboxes need replacement following a plow collision are now eligible for a $30 reimbursement from the village. Buffalo Grove officials decided last week to boost that amount to $50.

Under the policy, reimbursements will be provided to residents whose mailboxes and posts are damaged beyond repair. The village will either replace the mailbox and post with standard ones (purchased by the village for $31.45), or provide up to $50 toward the replacement of a decorator mailbox and post. Those residents will have to install their own mailboxes, and reimbursement will be provided after residents provide receipts.

The higher reimbursement rate will be included in the village’s 2013-14 snow and ice control plan, which will be presented to the Village Board later this year. 

A survey of 10 other suburban villages showed that Buffalo Grove’s current reimbursement rate is among the lowest. Rates range from $25 (Cary) to $100 (Lincolnshire). The Lake County Department of Transportation replaces mailboxes it damages, but does not offer a cash payment option.

Over the past 10 years, Buffalo Grove has replaced an average of 65 mailboxes per year following damage by snowplows, according to a village memo.

Has your mailbox ever been hit by a plow? Do you think $50 is a fair payment? Tell us in the comment section below.