Monarch Fire Mistakenly Mails Newsletters Across Country

About 700 people who don't live in the  got the district's last biannual newsletter, and more than 1,500 extra copies were printed as well. 

The mistake came to light at the district's July 19 board meeting. Board members questioned whether Monarch was planning on looking at new places to print the letter. Fire Marshal Roger Herin said the district wants to go to bid for a new printer, but did not have time before the most recent newsletter was printed in June. Monarch currently uses Copytek in St. Louis.

Board members questioned how long this had been going on, but Monarch officials did not have an immediate answer.

Herin said in a phone call a week later he did not know how long newsletters have been sent to non-residents. Monarch prints approximately 25,000 newsletters for a cost of somewhere between $3,000 and $5,000, Herin said. He did not know the exact price.

“We’ve gotten complaints from people literally all over the country that were getting these,” Herin said. The complaints from last fall were what initially highlighted the problem. 

Herin said Copytek sends the newletters to a list of people provided to them.

“It was unclear to me who gave them the list or how they got the list,” Herin said. “And people that moved were having it sent to their new address.”

But, an employee at Copytek said Monarch provides the list. The district includes Chesterfield and parts of Wildwood, Ballwin, Clarkson Valley, Creve Coeur, Maryland Heights and unincorporated St. Louis County. Monarch's House No. 2, at 18424 Wildhorse Creek Rd., services Wildwood residents.

When area residents move and file a change of address with the post office, their newsletter was sent to the new address.

Herin said the district will accept bids from printers for the newsletter before the next one is mailed.