Truesdale officials want their old ZIP code back, and they are asking for help.“This is a last-ditch effort,” Mayor Murray Bruer said of the town’s nearly 30-year struggle to reinstate its ZIP code.“We’ve talked to the post office, our state representatives, our state senators, our congressman, our U.S. senators with no success.” Now city officials are reaching out to the other municipalities, to Gov. Jay Nixon, the city of Warrenton, the Warren County commissioners and the Warrenton Chamber of Commerce.When the Truesdale rural contract station closed in June 1979, Truesdale officials were promised they could keep the same ZIP code: 63380. That worked for a while, but by 1985 the U.S. Postal Service had revised its position and told Truesdale residents they had to use Truesdale, MO 63383 or Warrenton, MO 63383.Over the years the new ZIP code has been a source of consternation to Truesdale residents. In 2006, Truesdale officials complained that residents using Truesdale, MO 63383 did not receive driver license renewal notices. And Truesdale companies seeking no tax due letters from the Department of Revenue were shown as not having a sales tax license because they were listed in the Warrenton city limits.The mayor said that ZIP codes are not supposed to be used to identify a city, but often they are. A few years ago it was discovered that Truesdale has lost sales tax revenue to Warrenton due to businesses using a Warrenton address, he said.Some Truesdale and county residents have been charged a franchise tax for telephone service when the city does not have a franchise tax agreement with the phone company, Bruer said. Not only are Truesdale residents being charged an unnecessary tax, but that revenue is going to Warrenton.“We don’t want what is not due to us, but we do need and want the franchise and sales tax that belongs to the city,” he added.Bruer said he does not blame the city of Warrenton for the problem.“It’s just caused by the two cities using the same ZIP code,” he said.The mayor says Truesdale has even offered to pay for a sign on the Warrenton Post Office indicating the Truesdale ZIP code of 63380.“In this day of computers it should be easy for the post office to reinstate our ZIP code” Bruer said. The city has well documented its struggle to have the ZIP code reinstated. In fact, a few years ago the city tried an experiment. Officials mailed two letters from different areas of the United States, mailed at the same time, using the Truesdale, MO 63380 and Truesdale, MO 63383. Both letters were received at the same time. Neither was returned to sender.Next monthTruesdale officials will send a letter to residents asking them to check their utility bills to see if they are being charged the franchise tax from their phone company.Truesdale Would Like ZIP Code Back