What’s
your zip code?
Cave
Creek looking to alter postal codes
by Brian DiTullio
CAVE
CREEK – What’s in a Zip code?
This
question has been coming up in the last few years as problems
rise to the surface surrounding
mail delivery in the Cave Creek area.
“We
have a two‑Zip code problem,” said Councilwoman
Kim Brennan. “The post office has one Zip code and the
physical addresses have another Zip code.”
That
can be troublesome, especially at campaign time, according
to Brennan. “Some people don’t really like getting your
campaign mailer when it’s not their election.”
She
also claims confusion over the Zip codes has caused problems
at election time with people not knowing where to vote
or what district they vote in.
The
idea to change Cave Creek’s Zip code for some people started
a few years ago during conversations Brennan says she
had with constituents. “It was just a concept at that
point, but it kept coming up.”
More
recently, it has come up at town council meetings, and
Mayor Vincent Francia related he has had to talk about
the issue at various forums and functions he’s attended.
“I
spoke about it at the Dove Valley (Homeowners Association)
meeting at their request,” said Francia. “It was mainly
to address some hurt feelings over perception on what
we’re going to do.”
The
June 18 council meeting will include a discussion on the
Zip code issue, and the mayor has asked a representative
from post office administration to speak. The council
wants to know what is involved in the process of creating
one Zip code for the Cave Creek area, whether that would
be 85331 or 85327, and what kinds of costs would be associated
with a change.
The
Desert Advocate contacted the postmaster general’s office
in Phoenix and asked these questions,
but the answers were not available by press time.
Francia
pointed out the town ultimately would like to have one
Zip code for a definable area, but noted there still isn’t
home delivery in some areas, meaning new post office boxes
would have to be installed, and that there could be some
costs associated with notifying everyone about the change.
“If
you’re going to do this, you have to make sure everyone
knows what you’re doing,” said the mayor.
