If you live in Sturgeon Bay, U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher and State Rep. Joel Kitchens hope to understand why you are not getting your mail consistently. The pair hosted an event at Sturgeon Bay City Hall on Friday, announcing that they sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting a briefing and a plan of action for why city residents have faced mail delivery issues. Last week,  the postmaster in charge of the United States Postal Service for Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota districts blamed the weather for delivery issues, adding that they “will continue flexing (their) available resources to match the workload and are proud of the efforts of postal employees as they define essential public service every day.” That contrasts what has been relayed to Gallagher, Kitchens, and Sturgeon Bay Mayor David Ward, who say they have received numerous calls about the issue dating back to November. With many residents relying on the mail to receive necessary items like prescriptions and important bills, Gallagher and Kitchens say the community deserves answers.

Kitchens and Gallagher credited local post office officials for admitting their hiring struggles and Sturgeon Bay-area postal carriers for working as hard as they do. Sturgeon Bay is one of many cities in the country wondering about its mail delivery. According to the Houston Chronicle, more than 30 new employees have been hired in the Houston area to address their city’s delays. At the same time, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that four mail facilities in Minnesota will be audited by the United States Postal Service to take a deeper dive into their mail deliveries. Gallagher and Kitchens hope the Sturgeon Bay situation does not go that far.

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LETTER FROM REP. GALLAGHER

Dear Postmaster General DeJoy,

I write to you regarding concerns that have recently been brought to my attention by constituents regarding their mail delivery service in Sturgeon Bay, WI. My office has heard from dozens of constituents that have not received mail in a timely fashion dating back to late November. Some of these constituents state they haven’t received consistent service for up to 3 weeks at a time and some have only received their mail four times since the start of the new year.

My constituents in Northeast Wisconsin, especially in rural communities, rely on the United States Postal Service (USPS) to receive their medications, pay their bills, and run their small businesses. I was especially alarmed hearing from a veteran in Sturgeon Bay who was concerned that he would not receive his medication on time. Those who sacrificed so much for the country should never have to worry about receiving packages that their lives may depend on. They should be able to count on consistent and reliable delivery service that the USPS normally provides. I want to commend our Postal workers and mail carriers for their continued hard work and dedication to ensure that this is the reality; however, due to staffing shortages, these same workers are unfairly being stretched thin and being asked to fill in the gaps.

To help put my constituents’ minds at ease that these delays are being addressed and will not continue to be an issue in future, I request answers to the following questions:

What actions are specifically being taken at the Sturgeon Bay Post Office branch to ensure normal delivery can resume in a timely manner and avoid delays going forward?

What plans does USPS have in place to help local post offices in rural communities address staffing needs to help ensure timely delivery?

Are local post offices being asked to prioritize the delivery of third-party packages over traditional mail? If so, what is the USPS’s plan to ensure that this does not cause delays in traditional mail delivery?

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter and your timely response to my questions. It is my hope that these issues are promptly addressed and resolved, and that the USPS will work diligently to decrease delays going forward so that Wisconsinites have the peace of mind that comes with consistent USPS service.

S/F,