You might consider stopping by the post office today to pick up new stamps as the price of a first-class letter goes up as of Sunday, along with most other postal rates. Joy Reisdorf is officer-in-charge of the post office in Webster City.
Reisdorf says the biggest change is the first-class mail going up two-cents from 37 to 39-cents. Additional ounces will rise from 23 to 24-cents while the postcard rate also rises to 24. She says other postal rates and services are rising across the board.
Other price hikes will effect priority mail, express mail, certified mail, return receipt and money orders. Janet Plumb, the postmaster in Denison, says there hasn’t been a hike in stamp prices in some time. It’s the first rate increase in three-and-a-half years — the last boost was on June 30th of 2002.
Congress is requiring the postal service establish an escrow account of more than three-billion dollars by the end of 2006 and the postal increase is needed to reach that goal. A pamphlet is available at the post office, detailing the changes.
Plumb says people can pick up stamps in a wide variety of denominations, but she’s only expecting to be selling two types. The 39-cent stamps are available now in two styles — Lady Liberty and a love stamp with two doves on it. She says plenty of two-cent stamps are available as well for folks who want to combine them to use up their 37-centers.