The mayor of Winston is asking the region’s Congressional representatives for help with mail delivery issues.
In a letter sent to Rep. Val Hoyle, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and others, Mayor Christie Knutson said the 97496 ZIP code has widespread issues with mail being lost, delayed or delivered to the wrong address.
“One month the City of Winston utility bills and the Winston Dillard Water [District] bills were lost for the whole city,” she said. “They were mailed out and no one got their bill."
Knutson said the bills were eventually found and delivered late, but that likely resulted in late payments.
She has also heard reports of issues with medication deliveries going missing or arriving late enough that doses were missed.
The issues are bad enough that the city is taking action for the upcoming election.
“What we’re going to do is stress to our community to bring their ballots to the ballot box at City Hall, which is watched and picked up by elections officers every day,” Knutson said.
Knutson said she’s not blaming the U.S. Postal Service, but wants to make sure that the issue is investigated and corrected as soon as possible.
USPS sent the following statement in response to KLCC’s request for comment.
“The U.S. Postal Service has been in contact with Representative Hoyle’s office and is aware of the concerns raised regarding mail delivery in Winston. We regret learning that the level of service experienced has not met the high standards we strive to uphold.
This feedback has been shared with local management, which is reviewing the situation and implementing corrective actions to prevent recurrence and improve service moving forward. We appreciate the community’s patience and the opportunity to continue serving the City of Winston.”
