Agenda - Council - 01/24/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3. Zip Code ISSUE: United States Postal Service (USPS) provides the City of Ramsey postal services from the Anoka Post Office, located near downtown Anoka (55303 Zip Code). For the past decade, the City of Ramsey and the Ramsey Economic Development Authority (EDA), have identified a need for the Ramsey to secure a unique zip code and post office. This item has been identified a priority for two major reasons (1) confusion by businesses, residents, and visitors about differentiating the City of Ramsey from the City of Anoka; which results in problems in multiple applications,and (2) degradation of community identity. From an equity perspective, when the City of Ramsey is compared to nearby communities that do have zip codes/ post offices, the City of Ramsey appears to be a unique outlier in terms of current population. The City of Ramsey is one of twelve nearby cities with a current population of over 12,000 that does not have a unique post office and zip code. There are seven cities located nearby the City of Ramsey with populations ranging from 466 to 7,000 that have a unique post office and zip code. With current population comparisons in mind, it should be noted,the City of Ramsey is a rapidly growing community with several hundred acres of land available for future development. The demand for USPS services is expected to continuously increase with time. RECOMMENDATION:in order for the City of Ramsey to move forward with a request to USPS for a new post office and zip code,the City of Ramsey needs to document clear and consistent support. Therefore,the City of Ramsey support the solicitation of letters of support from our County, State, and Federal elected officials for the purpose of advocating for a Ramsey-unique zip code via the USPS Northland District Manager, Anthony Williams: 100 1St Street South, Minneapolis, MN 55401. I:\Legislative Platforms\2017\2017 Legislative Initiatives 011817.docx 4of12