MASSENA — Individuals who wait until the last minute to mail out bill payments could be facing late charges.

That includes bills for village of Massena services, Village Administrator Monique Chatland told the village board.

Effective Dec. 24, 2025, the U.S. Postal Service changed its postmark policy, reflecting the date an item is processed at a facility, not when it is dropped off. This shift can delay the official postmark date by several days, potentially resulting in late fees, missed tax deadlines or rejected mail-in ballots.

The postmark now represents the date of the first automated processing operation, which occurs at a regional center rather than upon initial collection.

“I know that’s already been put out there, and there’s stuff posted on our Facebook page about the way that the Postal Service is changing their postmark procedures. I specifically mentioned that because we use the postmark dates for our water bills and tax bills, so as long as they’re postmarked by the due date, then we consider them on time,” Chatland said.

However, she said, with the change in the postmark policy, “now it may take two or three days to get a postmark” because of the mail transfer to the regional hub.

“They’re reducing how frequently the mail is being transferred there,” she said. “So, I just wanted to point that out. Somebody might say they put it in the box on the 9th and it wasn’t postmarked until late the 11th. We can’t remove that.”

To ensure timely processing, the USPS recommends visiting a staffed retail location to request a manual postmark. For drop-boxes, mailing items several days early is essential.

Another alternative is to use the drop boxes in front of the Massena Town Hall. One box is designated for water bill and village tax payments.

“So, if my water bill is due tomorrow and I dropped it in the box tonight, the staff picks it up first thing in the morning tomorrow. Make sure it’s dropped off tonight,” Trustee Kenneth J. McGowan said.

Chatland said that would prevent the payment from being overdue.

“People are able to go in and have their request at the post office as postmarked that day as well, but I just want to make sure that people understand that so our staff isn’t getting a bunch of calls,” she said.