Highland City Council members discussed a draft letter to the U.S. House of Representatives asking for congressional support to establish a distinct ZIP code for Highland. The council heard background on a 2019 U.S. Postal Service denial, local studies of sales-tax “leakage,” and a proposed federal path that would begin in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Why it matters: Council members said a unique ZIP code could improve tax attribution and reduce address confusion with neighboring American Fork and Cedar Hills. Officials cited a local analysis that estimated lost sales-tax revenue tied to misattributed addresses.

Councilmember Scott Smith, who led the presentation, told the council that the city has a 2019 denial letter from the Postal Service and must include that rejection when seeking legislative relief. “We have a letter that we would like to send to the Committee of Oversight and Government Reform,” Smith said, outlining a process that could move from committee to the full House, then to the Senate and the president’s desk if adopted.

Smith and other speakers described practical problems Highland residents and the city face when software and retailers classify Highland addresses under neighboring ZIP codes. During the discussion, Chief Patton noted that public-safety dispatch is routed by address and said a new ZIP code could create short-term dispatch confusion unless dispatch systems are updated: “That would probably be ironed out at dispatch,” he said.

Council members said the draft letter will include the 2019 USPS rejection, a description of Highland’s population and housing (about 5,500 homes and roughly 23,000 residents as stated in the draft), and examples of how ZIP-code misclassification affects tax reporting and service delivery. The packet prepared for the meeting also cites an economic analysis by LRB that the presenters described as estimating about $4.9 million in annual sales-tax revenue loss tied to address misattribution; council members said that study is being finalized.

Next steps: Council members asked staff to make minor edits to strengthen language about public-safety implications, correct name spellings on the letter, and add senior staff signatures. The plan presented calls for the county to submit a supporting letter at its next meeting and for local congressional staff to bundle city and county requests for committee consideration. Council members discussed signing the letter at the meeting if final edits are completed, but no formal motion or recorded vote to send the letter appears in the meeting minutes.

The council also discussed outreach to residents about why Highland is pursuing a distinct ZIP code and emphasized including the county’s support before the packet goes to Congress.