Iowa City Post Office Announces Route Changes

Postal Service, Letter Carriers Respond to Changes in Mail Volume

Iowa City, Iowa —The current economic downturn has affected every business in the country. When the nation’s businesses experience a downturn, it directly affects the volume of mail. This year has been particularly challenging for the U.S. Postal Service’s Des Moines-based Hawkeye District, which has seen total mail volume decline by nearly 12 percent. The District includes more than 800 Post Offices across Iowa and the Quad City communities in Illinois.

“In order to remain economically viable, the Postal Service must make changes to its operations, staffing, and facilities to match current mail volume and to maintain current levels of service,” said District Manager Doug Morrow.

“We moved quickly to adjust our carrier routes to respond to the current state of the economy,” said Iowa City Postmaster Doug Curtiss. “Our goal is to keep mail affordable and to continue to provide the high level of service our customers expect.”

An unprecedented agreement signed recently with the National Association of Letter Carriers allowed the Postal Service to move quickly to make these necessary changes.

While working to minimize any inconvenience from the changes, it is possible that mail delivery to some addresses will be at a different time than residents have grown accustomed.

The postmaster will mail letters next week to all Iowa City and Corallville residents notifying them of any delivery changes — including a change in the time of delivery.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.