Las Vegas SUN: Postal proposal prompts concerns
Monica Caruso passed this story along to me.
Responsibility for keys would be shifted to homeowner groups
"Homeowners and renters who need keys or lock changes for their mailboxes soon will have to get them from their home builder or homeowners association instead of a post office, if the U.S. Postal Service has its way.The Postal Service says it is making that change to save money. But critics say it will lead to less privacy and security in an age where mail theft is an easy route to identity theft...

Julene Hayworth, a former aide to Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., turned government affairs specialist for the Southern Nevada Home Builder Association, said that the ultimate impact of the postal policy will be to make postal officials out of homeowners association leaders or federal agents out of builders.

"They don't want to be responsible for the keys," she said. "But you are still under federal law. Mail tampering is a federal, criminal law. You are asking homeowners associations and builders to be liable under federal law."

Another concern among home builders is that homeowners associations often have come into conflict with their residents, creating a potentially troubling situation when an association could have access to the private correspondence of a resident."
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So now we are privatizing the ultimate responsibility for mail delivery and handing it over to our new level of amateur government? Who comes up with these ideas? As Fred Pilot observes, "Not going along with the program or paying your assessments? You can pick up your mailbox key at the HOA manager's office-- provided you bring a cashier's check for the full amount of your fines, late assessments and of course any late charges and attorneys fees." Indeed. But here's an interesting wrinkle. Many HOA disputes involve issues of notice, such as whether the HOA gave the owner notice of violation or delinquent payments, and often that notice is delivered by....US Mail. Which under this proposal will be in the ultimate control of the HOA.

Don't associations have enough to do already without turning them into the Pony Express?