News : USPS proposes changes for Mt. Auburn, Watkins and Brandon

Post offices in Brandon, Mount Auburn and Watkins may close as USPS cuts expenditures.

Area residents who receive their U.S. Mail via post offices in Mount Auburn, Watkins or Brandon will soon receive a letter in the mail inviting them to town meetings, where the only topic will be the future of their local post office.

The three area towns are on the U.S. Postal Service's list of possible closures; the USPS issued the list earlier this month as it struggles with lower revenue, much of it due to online transactions and email.

The post offices could possibly close by Christmas, although USPS Corporate Communications spokesman Richard Watkins said most decisions would not be made until next year.

The most common question that postal employees face is "How would a closing affect my service?"

Watkins said the answer to that question depends on a variety of factors. Each community's postal service, he said, is unique. That's why the USPS is relying on the input from postal customers to guide their decisions.

Options for customers affected by any closures could include what the USPS calls "cluster boxes" -- basically post office boxes for every customer. In some areas, rural delivery could still continue, said Watkins.

In areas served by retail stores, the USPS is promoting what it calls its "Village Post Office" program. This effort puts the USPS in partnership with stores, which could sell postal products and even ship standard packages.

Watkins said the overall demand for postal service is down because more people are sending communications and paying bills on-line. He also said that with its online services, the USPS is seeing fewer customers going to a post office to buy stamps or other products.

"We have some places where a postmaster will only have four or five transactions to conduct in a day," said Watkins. That, he said, is not economically feasible, since the USPS only receives revenue from its products, not tax dollars.

Universal mandate

Still, said Watkins, the USPS still has a universal mandate to serve every area. The input from those public meetings will help the USPS understand how to better fulfill that mission while serving people in a variety of different geographic and economic situations.

Click HERE for the USPS news release about the national discussion of post office closures.

Click HERE for a list of Iowa post offices on the potential closure list.