Representative Angie Craig Pushes to Resolve Postal Issues for Lakeville Residents

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig released a letter she wrote to Tony Williams, the United States Postal Service’s Minnesota and North Dakota District Manager, to express her concerns about services provided by the Lakeville Post Office. In her letter, she highlighted the critical need to improve the post office’s inadequate delivery standards and poor customer service – and the impacts these inadequate conditions are having on Lakeville residents.

“Residents in certain neighborhoods have gone days, even weeks, without receiving their mail. This has led to medications for seniors being undelivered and bills arriving late, resulting in unfair and unnecessary fees for residents. Some routes are seemingly unserviced altogether. In some instances, package lockers have been damaged and inaccessible for postal service customers and calls to fix them have gone unanswered. I have also repeatedly heard from constituents of poor customer service within the post office itself,” wrote Representative Craig.

“My office has been working with your consumer affairs manager since October 12, 2022, to resolve a specific overbilling complaint after the customer themself was unable to seek a remedy from local USPS officials. We also filed a formal inquiry with your staff after numerous, continued complaints from residents and Lakeville Mayor Anderson on November 1, 2022. We are grateful for the Minnesota/North Dakota District staff’s efforts,” Representative Craig continued.

Representative Craig encourages her constituents to contact her office if they are having any trouble navigating or accessing any federal agency, including their local post offices. For assistance, they should visit Representative Craig’s website at https://craig.house.gov/casework.

You can find the full text of the letter below. 

November 5, 2022

Tony Williams, District Manager, Minnesota/North Dakota District

United States Postal Service

100 S. 1ST Street Minneapolis,

MN 55401-999

Dear Mr. Williams:

First of all, thank you for your service to the U.S. Postal Service, especially during this busy election. I am writing on behalf of the numerous constituents and City of Lakeville officials concerned about service levels they are experiencing from the Lakeville Post Office.

Lakeville has experienced rapid population growth and business expansion over the last several years, and I fear that the postal service may not be expanding at the necessary rate. From July 2020 to July 2021 alone, Lakeville experienced a population growth rate of 3.8%, the fastest in Minnesota according to the Census Bureau. Furthermore, Lakeville is expected to reach a population of 85,000 as it continues to expand.

Residents in certain neighborhoods have gone days, even weeks, without receiving their mail. This has led to medications for seniors being undelivered and bills arriving late, resulting in unfair and unnecessary fees for residents. Some routes are seemingly unserviced altogether. In some instances, package lockers have been damaged and inaccessible for postal service customers and calls to fix them have gone unanswered. I have repeatedly heard from constituents of poor customer service within the post office itself. One of the most egregious errors has a postal service customer being overcharged thousands of dollars. I am thankful for your staff’s help in beginning to resolve this issue which never should have happened in the first place.

 My office has been working with your consumer affairs manager since October 12, 2022 to resolve a specific overbilling complaint after the customer themself was unable to seek a remedy from local USPS officials. We also filed a formal inquiry with your staff after numerous, continued complaints from residents and Lakeville Mayor Anderson on November 1, 2022. We are grateful for the Minnesota/North Dakota District staff’s efforts. Given that USPS is now in peak holiday shipping season, I feel the need to escalate these issues to your attention as well and request a formal response to the following questions:

1. Can you confirm if Lakville’s postal routes are still considered “rural” for the purposes of USPS delivery systems? If so, what is the plan to reevaluate that designation given the rapid population growth?
2. On average, how many postal routes go unserved each day in Lakeville and how many postal service customers does that impact?
3. What, if any, staffing shortages presently exist at the Lakeville Post Office and how is USPS and the Lakeville Post Office working to address them?
4. The Lakeville Post Office is one of 25,300 leased postal facilities across the country. The current lease expires August 31, 2024. What is the current USPS Facilities assessment of Lakeville’s operating capacity and are other options being explored for facility space?
5. Can USPS guarantee that every Lakeville resident who requested a mail-in ballot for the 2022 General Election, regardless of political party, will receive that ballot in time to cast it and have it collected in time to be counted in the 2022 General Election?

Thank you for reviewing this letter and I look forward to your response on behalf of all the 2nd District residents who deserve to have their medications, bills and packages arrive safely and on time.

###