SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A statewide elected official is the latest politician to call out a proposal shifting distribution in downstate Illinois with mail from the United States Postal Service.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza has written a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy concerning the idea of changing the Springfield processing and distribution center to just a processing center. USPS would have all mail go to St. Louis if the proposal moves forward. The postal service claims the proposal would increase efficiency.
In the letter, Mendoza said her office mails nearly 3 million checks from Springfield each year, and timely delivery is essential for many payments.
“My office sends out about 11,000 checks a day to home health care workers, childcare providers and other state providers and vendors,” Mendoza said in a statement. “Even a one-day delay could cause serious hardship for these providers and businesses.”
Mendoza said she’s worried the extra travel required will slow down payments to people if the Springfield Processing and Distribution Center changes and mail distribution is required in St. Louis or Chicago.
"Given that Springfield is the seat of state government where a distribution hub is warranted, I ask for specific assurance from the US Postal Service that an impact analysis is thoroughly conducted prior to implementation so that it can verify there is no potential risk for performance delays," the comptroller wrote in the letter.
Other public officials in the capital city who have spoken out against USPS’s proposal include both Illinois U.S. senators, Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), and Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield). Rep. Nikki Budzinski filed a bill to prevent the USPS from making changes to a P&DC if they are not meeting delivery goals.
Mendoza encourages state employees and vendors to sign up to have their payments electronically deposited.
While the USPS has not decided whether to convert the Springfield P&DC, the Postal Service has decided to move forward on converting their Processing and Distribution Centers in Champaign, Peoria and the Quad Cities.
