Governing policy: Mailing Policy

Department: Office of City Clerk

Last revised: June 30, 2007

General conditions

1. Bulk Mail (technically Standard Mail) is mail that is not required to go first class. The City uses bulk mailing for approximately 200 or more pieces of outgoing mail of the same size, weight, or type.
2. Bulk Mail saves as much as 35% over first class mail. As mailings get larger and zip codes become more defined, the greater the savings are over first class mail.
3. Training is available from the United States Postal Service (USPS): “How to do Standard Mail”. These classes are generally offered once a month at the Bulk Mail Acceptance Unit, 3501 Industrial Boulevard, Minneapolis MN 55413. To register, call 612-349-4739.
4. Post Office guidelines are available in the Mail Center: “USPS Quick Service Guide” #240a and #340a.
5. Impact, 4600 Lyndale Avenue N, Minneapolis, MN, is the vendor for bulk mail. Impact's rate structure is available in the Document Solution Center. Impact can provide the best pricing per piece, rather than doing the job in-house because they can sort to the carrier route or the walk sequence carrier route.

Procedures

A. In advance of the mailing

1. Attend training or review USPS guidelines.
2. Consult with Impact and the Document Solution Center to determine services and costs.
3. Get authorization, one week in advance, from the City Clerk’s staff by having them sign the PS Form 3600-R/3602-R to assure there are sufficient funds in the account. If Impact is performing the mailing, they will verify whether there are adequate funds available.

B. Designing the mailing

1. All addressing and setup must be in accordance with USPS regulations. Follow USPS guidelines for size and thickness of mailing
2. Contact the USPS MDA Support Center at 855-593-6093, or by sending a request via email to mda@usps.gov
3. All mailings must have the following:
   • Indicia - include Bulk Mail Permit #2140 in the upper right hand corner (obtained from the Mail Center)
   • City department return address
   • The final fold of a non-envelope mailing must be on the bottom edge as you read the address
   • Closure tabs and wafer seals must be placed away from postal service machine processing areas

C. Paying for the mailing

1. Complete the 3602-R in duplicate (link below). The Postal Service keeps the first copy and sends the second copy to the City Clerk’s Office. If a department uses Impact, Impact will prepare USPS forms. Examples of a completed USPS form are available in the Document Solution Center.
2. In the Permit Holder’s Name and Address block fill in: City of Minneapolis, 350 S., 5th St – Room 304, Minneapolis MN 55415-1382
3. At the top right-hand corner of the block that says Name and Address of Mailing Agent (if other than the permit holder), fill in a department contact phone number in case the Post Office has questions about the mailing.
4. In the larger portion of that same block, fill in the organization for which the mailing is prepared along with the contact name and address of your department.
5. Include your FISCOL accounting code at the very bottom of the same block.
6. Use permit number 2140.
7. Fill in the total pieces in the mailing and the cost on the back of the form, in block A, B, C, or D.
8. Return to the front of the form and fill in the total postage in Part A, Part B, Part C, or Part D that corresponds to the alphabetical letter on the other side of the form.
9. The City Clerk charges a $25 administrative fee for each USPS 3600-R/3602-R form.
10. In case of emergency, If there is not enough time to process a check to the Postmaster one week prior to the processing date, and there are insufficient funds in the account, contact Finance at 673-2045 and 673-3868 to request an emergency check that will need to be picked up by a department staff person and delivered to the Bulk Mail Acceptance Unit at 3501 Broadway St. NE.

D. Processing the mailing

1. Deliver the mailing to the Bulk Mail Acceptance Unit at 3501 Broadway St NE, near Industrial Blvd or Highway 280.
2. Or, take the trayed mail to the Document Solution Center and it will be taken to the Bulk Mail Acceptance Unit by our presort vendor, ZipSort, at no additional cost to the City.

Roles and responsibilities

Impact Mailing

1. Folding, collating, stuffing, tabbing and providing and affixing address labels for specific geographic areas.
2. Picks up bulk mailings in City Hall for an additional fee.
3. Prepares the mail according to USPS regulations and delivers the trays to the Bulk Mail Acceptance Unit with the completed forms. Impact charges a service fee for mail preparation, pickup and paperwork.
4. Bills the City Clerk’s Document Solution Center for the services provided for the sender’s department.

Post Office Bulk Mailing Center

1. Receives the mailing from Impact Mailing, department staff or ZipSort.
2. Processes and delivers the mail to the addressees, generally within 3 business days.
3. Bills the City Clerk’s office for the mailing services provided to each department.

ZipSort

1. Contracted Mail Processing Center
2. Picks up general mail from the Document Solution Center/Mail Room twice a day.
3. Processes mail in the most cost effective manner – will attempt an easy zip code sort on mail that is not stamped “first class” and will pass the savings on to the customer.
4. Bills the City for actual postage costs plus contracted charges.

City Mail Center

1. Bills the sender’s department, via the Finance Department, for the charges forwarded by the USPS via the Form 3602-R and/or impact Mailing invoice plus $25 for each executed form.
2. Acts as an intermediary between sender and vendor.
3. Answers any follow-up questions.

Additional Information

• USPS Quick Service Guides
• Business Mail 101
• USPS Bulk Mail Forms

Contacts

• USPS Account Manager, 612-349-6358
• Post Office Bulk Mail Center, 1-800-ASK-USPS
• Impact, Info@ImpactConnects.com, 612-521-6245