In 2022, David Rupert, USPS communications director for the Western United States, said that Ketchum’s situation was not unusual – that throughout the Mountain West, the “vast majority” of towns had delivery to PO Boxes only.

For years, Ketchum city officials and two congressmen — Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho — have pushed the U.S. Postal Service for a waiver of post office box fees in Ketchum, so far without success. A records request filed with the city by the Express revealed communications with the U.S. Postal Service and members of Congress requesting a fee waiver dating back to October 2022.

In an interview with the Express earlier this fall, Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw said he hoped for good news soon.

“I continue to hope that we can get free mailbox delivery in cooperation with the post office,” he said.

Reached by phone Monday evening, Crapo’s press secretary, Marissa Morrison, said the senator’s office was “in ongoing contact with the U.S. Postal Service” and “hopes to have some updates by the end of the year.”

The U.S. Postal Service Manual establishes exceptions to paying a PO Box fee, including “Group E Exceptions,” which provide that addresses to which mail delivery is not possible should qualify for a free PO Box.

Over the years, Ketchum residents, city councilors and business owners have asked for an explanation as to why Ketchum does not qualify for the Group E exemption.

David Rupert, USPS communications director for the Western United States, and then-Ketchum postmaster John McDonald told the Express in 2022 that the exemption did not apply to Ketchum residents because of the city’s resolution at a town hall meeting in 1998 However, it could not find any record of such a vote in its archives, and city staff also told the Express that it had no record of a vote taken this year by the City passed vote banning mail delivery.

The most recent push for fee waivers dates back to October 17, 2022, when the city sent a letter to Rep. Simpson “seeking assistance with the post office box fees charged to Ketchum residents,” the Express reported. The letter highlighted the rising cost of post office box fees.

“These prices have tripled over the last seven years, yet we have seen no improvement in service or any explanation from the USPS as to why such steep price increases are necessary,” the letter said.

Rupert told the Express at the time that fee increases were intended to remain competitive with other companies that provide post office box services, such as UPS.

On December 22, 2022, the City sent a formal letter to the Postal Regulatory Commission requesting a fee waiver. The U.S. Postal Service opened case 46532180 regarding the letter on January 3, 2023, and on February 8, the city received a denial letter. The letter cited the 1998 meetings as grounds for denying the fee waiver request.

“We believe the city prevented the extension of delivery times that would have been available to customers as a ‘free service,'” the letter said. “Based on these discussions, the USPS built a post office optimized for mailbox delivery, a choice that eliminated staffing, transportation, loading docks and distribution areas for delivery.”

On February 27, City Manager Jade Riley sent a counter-letter to USPS Consumer Affairs Manager Leanna Perkins, asking the Postal Service to reconsider its refusal to waive post office box fees.

After receiving no response, the city sent another counter letter on April 28. On May 9, the city learned from Simpson’s office that his office had been in contact with the USPS in Washington, D.C. and regional USPS officials but had no news to report.

On January 30, 2024, Councilwoman Amanda Breen spoke with Director of Community Services Samantha Marshall at Crapo’s office. Bradshaw also spoke with someone in Simpson’s office in June who told him that they had spoken to the US Postal Service contact in D.C. and that the Postal Service was “reviewing this issue and related policies.”

Bradshaw met with Ketchum Postmaster Shannon Ferraro and Perkins via Zoom on Sept. 17 and was “encouraged by what they said in that meeting.”

“I think the postal service is taking this seriously,” Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw said other mountain towns face mail delivery challenges.

“This isn’t just a Ketchum thing, this is a mountain town thing, a whole US thing,” Bradshaw said.

The explosion in online shopping, private carriers and overnight deliveries has overwhelmed post offices across the country, he said.

The Express previously reported that postal workers once compared Amazon shipping packages with corresponding PO boxes, although now most Amazon packages destined for street delivery are simply returned.

The USPS processed about 12 billion pieces of mail and packages last year, the Express previously reported.

The postal customers surveyed by Express complained, among other things, about long waiting times when sending and receiving parcels, late or lost parcels and post office box fees, which continue to rise despite declining service quality.

Residents and city officials agreed in interviews that the problem is not the staff, who they described as friendly and considerate.

Gary Hoffman, a Ketchum resident and postal customer, told the Express that the challenges facing the Ketchum post office go back decades. Hoffman was highly critical of McDonald, who he said was unwilling to make changes. However, he added that things had changed “for the worse” in recent years.

A Ketchum resident leaving the post office last month said she needed prescription medication delivered but sometimes received it late or not at all.

While she noted that postal workers “did everything they could do,” she said she was also frustrated by the regular lines of 15 to 20 people, the “dirtiness,” including stains and stains on stairs, and a broken door That took almost six months to repair.

Regarding staffing and postal delays, USPS spokeswoman Sherry Patterson said local management has taken the necessary steps to hire additional staff, one of which is expected to begin Dec. 14. She added that based on current dates, mail delivery is fine for the Ketchum community.

Patterson also said customers can purchase stamps at home through the USPS website and pay for and print labels to save time and then drop them off at the post office instead of waiting in line.

The large sliding door that protects the kiosks after hours got stuck in July, the Express previously reported. By the end of November, customers lined up at a makeshift counter near the entrance. USPS spokeswoman Kim Frum told the Express that the door was broken due to a broken spring. The door was repaired last week, Patterson said.

“Unfortunately, the repairs were carried out based on the contractor’s availability schedule and took longer than originally expected,” she said. “However, while the post office waited for repairs, no services were affected. The Postal Service is committed to providing the best possible service to our customers and we apologize for any inconvenience.”

Another postal customer stopped to speak to the Express Monday evening. He said he was keen to see the fees abolished and was disappointed by the lack of information about when this would happen.

“I would ask the city council to honor its promise to eliminate fees,” he said. “Frankly it is barbaric how fees continue to rise while the situation continues to deteriorate.”

City Councilman Spencer Cordovano said in a brief interview Monday that the City Council is working to eliminate the fees but that the city has limited control over what the U.S. Postal Service, a federal agency, can do.