SOMERS, Wis. — Something as simple as a ZIP code is creating a serious public safety problem in the Village of Somers, and the village is fighting back.
Somers residents are currently spread across 14 different ZIP codes, including Kenosha, Racine, Sturtevant, Pleasant Prairie, Bristol, Caledonia and Union Grove. The reason: ZIP codes are designed to optimize mail delivery routes, not to follow municipal boundaries. But the consequences for Somers go far beyond the mailbox.
Emergency calls have been dispatched to the wrong fire department. The village actually had to rename a road, from Sixth Street to Sixth Way, because 911 calls were being sent six miles away to the city of Racine. And in 2024, a Somers resident's ambulance bill was denied by their insurance company because their address was associated with the wrong municipality.
"We actually had to rename one of our roads because it had the same name as a road in Racine, so when somebody called 911 from that area they would get the wrong department assigned to them," said Kevin Poirier of the Village of Somers. "That would be a huge delay."
For residents like Todd Niles, the confusion is something he has lived with for years.
"Even though I live in Somers, the post office wanted me to put Kenosha as my address," Niles said. "My mom lives in Somers but has a Racine address. This is kind of silly. One city, one ZIP code would be nice."
The village has been working to fix the problem since 2022 but was denied by the U.S. Postal Service. Now Somers is pushing for federal legislation, Senate Bill S. 4505, that would force the USPS to assign unique ZIP codes to dozens of communities across the country. Somers has been left out of the current version of the bill, and village officials are asking Congress to add them.
"It's their safety," Poirier said. "The Village of Somers cares about their residents, and this is something we're going to keep working on."
Residents who want to support the effort can sign a petition at Somers Village Hall. For more information on how to contact your federal representatives, visit this website.
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