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PO - USPS Letter to COT - 02 01 2002 POSTMASTER UNITED STATES MW POSTAL SERVICE February 1, 2002 Liz Newton, Assistant to the City Manager Tigard City Hall City of Tigard 13125 SW Hall Blvd. Tigard OR 97223-8199 Dear Ms. Newton: Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Tigard Branch of the Portland Post Office. As you may know, the establishment of postal operations is to serve a given community or city and is for the express purpose of collecting, sorting and delivering the mail and for no other purpose. In many cases a post office does assume the name of the community or city which it serves. In other instances the postal operation that serves a community may be administered or overseen by a larger post office in order to minimize overhead operating costs and increase efficiency. In this instance the station or branch office may be recognized by the city name of the administering office or that of the community or city it serves. In this case both city or community names are recognized as part of their valid delivery addresses. Over the years, other entities, organizations and industries have adopted the ZIP Code of their geographic area as a standard or platform on which to assess boundaries, responsibilities, insurance rates and the list goes on. The Zone Improvement Plan or Z.I.P. Code was never intended for anything else other than to aid in the sorting and delivery of the mail. The fact that mail delivery in the City of Tigard is provided by the Tigard Branch of the Portland Post Office rather than an independent post office is a complex matter that has evolved over time. Any change in the existing structure of postal operations, reporting responsibility or establishment of new post offices is beyond our local authority. The Tigard branch of the United States Postal Service has served the City of Tigard for many years with dependable and efficient mail delivery as well a full range of postal products and services. When mail delivery was first established in the region, the area surrounding Portland was predominantly unincorporated farms and small communities. With few exceptions most of the area fell under the jurisdiction of the already established Portland post office. As the metro area grew, boundary lines were drawn between emerging cities and counties within the Portland post office's area of responsibility. County boundaries along with other boundaries established by different government agencies further divided the metro area. Many of these boundaries and divisions were instituted independent of postal delivery considerations and operational needs that are based solely on mail delivery. Most large mailers who mail all over the United States use computers along with city, state and ZIP Code databases to validate ZIP Codes and city names. When companies process customer mailing lists for verification they may be referencing a condensed database where the city names listed are only those of the administrative city serving as the processing and distribution center for a multiple ZIP Coded area. This is done to keep the tremendous number of unique cities and or 715 NW Hour ST PO Box 3079 PORTLAND OR 97208-3079 (503)294-2203 FAX(503)294-2248 Liz Newton/City of Tigard February 1, 2002 Page 2 of 2 community names throughout the United States to a manageable size. It is for this reason that the Postal Service sorting equipment recognizes the names of both Tigard and Portland as valid city delivery names. In the case of the Tigard delivery area, it is identified by the unique ZIP Codes 97223, 97224 and 97281; the computer recognizes Tigard first and then Portland as a valid city name. This is why businesses and residences in Tigard from time to time receive mail with Portland as the city name. As for the level of service available at an independent post office versus a postal station or branch, the differences are indistinguishable for the most part for the majority of postal customers. The senior manager at a postal station or branch is known as the Manager, Customer Services. This person reports directly to the Postmaster of the administrative post office. Operations, staffing, community involvement and other issues that affect operational efficiencies and budget are the responsibility of the Manager, Customer Services but ultimately fall under the jurisdiction of the Postmaster. If there are issues or concerns regarding customer service, those issues must first be directed to the Manager, Customer Services for consideration and resolution which is lander their authority. If required the Manager, Customer Services will refer inquiries to the Postmaster for review. At this time the Postal Service has no compelling reason or the financial resources to establish an independent Post Office in the City of Tigard, Oregon. If there are other issues not addressed in this letter which you wish to discuss, please contact Mr. Ronald C. Anderson, Customer Relations Coordinator in my office. Mr. Anderson will be able to field most questions or concerns you may have and will consult with me if necessary to address any future concerns you may have. Sincerely, Franklin P. Di gins ra