Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper alongside U.S. Representative Joe Neguse urged U.S. Postal Service (USPS) leaders to eliminate P.O. box fees for eligible Coloradans. A substantial number of Steamboat Springs residents currently pay rental fees for P.O. boxes despite qualifying for fee waivers since their physical addresses are not eligible for home delivery.
“Many Steamboat Springs residents pay over one hundred dollars annually to receive mail in their P.O. boxes, even though USPS does not deliver mail or parcels to the residents’ homes. Meanwhile, other Steamboat Springs residents and those living outside of town receive home delivery at no charge,” wrote Bennet, Hickenlooper, and Neguse.
“In November 2023, after nearly a year of internal study and deliberation, USPS announced that eligible residents who previously paid for P.O. Boxes would no longer be charged a fee, and USPS would provide refunds for up to 24 months of previously paid fees to those residents,” continued the lawmakers. “Unfortunately, nearly six months later, eligible residents still report paying P.O. Box fees, and have not been provided with an estimated date by which they can expect an update or a refund.”
Bennet and Hickenlooper have consistently pushed USPS to improve mail service for Colorado’s mountain communities. In March, Bennet joined 20 Senate colleagues urging USPS to stop any changes that could result in job losses and further degrade mail delivery performance for Colorado and 34 other states. In April, Bennet and Hickenlooper again pushed back on USPS’ proposal. Earlier this month, USPS announced it would temporarily pause these network changes and therefore, USPS will not be moving mail processing operations from the Grand Junction Mail Processing Facility this year following the senators’ calls.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Dr. Colin and Mr. Smith,
We write to urge the United States Postal Service (USPS), Colorado-Wyoming District Office to expedite the process determining eligibility for residents in the City of Steamboat Springs, Colorado who do not receive USPS home delivery to receive a post office box (P.O. Box) at no charge. We also request USPS issue refunds to eligible residents and provide an update to our offices on your progress in a timely manner.
Many Steamboat Springs residents pay over one hundred dollars annually to receive mail in their P.O. boxes, even though USPS does not deliver mail or parcels to the residents’ homes. Meanwhile, other Steamboat Springs residents and those living outside of town receive home delivery at no charge. In November 2023, after nearly a year of internal study and deliberation, USPS announced that eligible residents who previously paid for P.O. Boxes would no longer be charged a fee, and USPS would provide refunds for up to 24 months of previously paid fees to those residents. Unfortunately, nearly six months later, eligible residents still report paying P.O. Box fees, and have not been provided with an estimated date by which they can expect an update or a refund.
We applaud USPS employees’ hard work and dedication to delivering mail and parcels to local residents, while implementing substantial changes to the post office’s systems. We recognize local residents must complete and return Postal Service Form (PS) 1093 for USPS to determine eligibility, which the USPS is working to process. We also understand USPS is considering new delivery routes for Steamboat Springs, which requires a requisite level of planning before implementation. Nevertheless, eligible local residents, many of whom have already submitted a completed PS Form 1093, are rightfully growing increasingly frustrated that USPS has not yet issued an update on these efforts and continues to charge them for P.O. box rentals.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to hearing from the Colorado-Wyoming District Office with an update on the timeline for the completion of these initiatives, and request that the USPS implement these changes as soon as practical.