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Hundreds, if not thousands, of post offices around the country could soon be closed down as the United States Postal Service looks to cut costs in order to avoid becoming insolvent.
“At this time there are no closings identified by Oklahoma District for Pottawatomie, Seminole, Lincoln, and Cleveland County,” Dionne Montague, communications programs specialist for the United States Postal Service (USPS) said.
One alternative to closing a Post Office would require consolidating mail sorting operations of several local offices into a central office, while retaining the letter carriers and routes and even some offices, but with reduced function.
“The hard-core reality of this, the Post Office lost billions last year,” Congressman James Lankford said Wednesday. “You have to figure out some way to do this and it’s not going to be a single solution.”
Nine Post Offices have been recommended for closure in Oklahoma those offices are located in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. A total of 667 have been identified nationwide for possible closure to date. “This is a national ongoing initiative that could eventually result in as many as 1,000 offices closing nationwide,” Montague said.
“If a Post Office closes, mail delivery would continue to every delivery point including residential and business addresses,” Montague said. “P.O. Box customers would receive a new box at a designated location nearby. Customers would retain the same P.O. Box number if the option to use the same P.O. Box number was available. The USPS would make every possible attempt to minimize the impact to its customers.”
Montague said USPS has struggled in adapting to the Internet and rapidly growing technology.
“Most cost cutting measures would be seamless to our customers,” Montague said. “Although we are taking necessary steps to cut costs and closing offices nationwide, we are expanding our access.”
Montague said the expand in access includes smart phone applications and nearly 63,000 kiosk drop-boxes in banks, grocery stores, pharmacies and retail stores around the nation.
Lankford said USPS lost more than $8 billion last year, and is expected to lose another $8 billion this year and again next year.
“It’s still the best deal in town,” Lankford said. “No one else can say, if you give me 44 cents I will take your letter and deliver it to someone in Alaska.”
Congressman Darrell Issa, R-California filed legislation recently that could lead to the implementation of similar reforms to the USPS.
“We have to do something about efficiency,” Lankford said. “The USPS is a very unique organization. They have heavy federal oversight but they are funded entirely by sales.”
Lankford said the USPS receives no federal funding, yet it requires an act of Congress to increase its retail prices.
“The key thing is to ask if are they struggling with too many federal regulations?” Lankford said. “They need to ask congress if they want to raise the price of a stamp. They are being micromanaged by Congress, they need more latitude in making decisions.”
Montague said USPS has asked Congress to alter the payment schedule of a 2006 mandate that, unlike any other federal agency, requires USPS to prefund retiree health benefits in the amount of $5.5 billion annually.
Montague said USPS has asked to gain access to $50-$75 billion in overpayments made to the Civil Service Retirement System and more than $6.9 billion overpaid to the Federal Employees Retirement System.
“Since inception in 2006, the Postal Service has paid some $20.9 billion into the Retiree Health Benefit Trust Fund,” Montague said. “Under current law, the USPS is scheduled to continue to make $5.5 to $5.8 billion in payments until 2016.”
Another cost cutting measure would be to reduce the number of delivery days from six to five.
“The Postal Service regularly reviews and evaluates its Post Office operations in a continuing effort to better meet customers’ retail needs, improve productivity, increase efficiency and cut costs.” Montague said.
USPS, a non-profit organization, is asking Congress to allow their prices to be determined by demand and not by previously set price caps.
“With the right legislation USPS can return to profitability,” Montague said. “And if given flexibility, USPS can continue to serve the American public very effectively, and continue to sustain and propel American commerce.”
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Robby Short may be contacted by calling 214-3934.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of post offices around the country could soon be closed down as the United States Postal Service looks to cut costs in order to avoid becoming insolvent.
“At this time there are no closings identified by Oklahoma District for Pottawatomie, Seminole, Lincoln, and Cleveland County,” Dionne Montague, communications programs specialist for the United States Postal Service (USPS) said.
One alternative to closing a Post Office would require consolidating mail sorting operations of several local offices into a central office, while retaining the letter carriers and routes and even some offices, but with reduced function.
“The hard-core reality of this, the Post Office lost billions last year,” Congressman James Lankford said Wednesday. “You have to figure out some way to do this and it’s not going to be a single solution.”
Nine Post Offices have been recommended for closure in Oklahoma those offices are located in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. A total of 667 have been identified nationwide for possible closure to date. “This is a national ongoing initiative that could eventually result in as many as 1,000 offices closing nationwide,” Montague said.
“If a Post Office closes, mail delivery would continue to every delivery point including residential and business addresses,” Montague said. “P.O. Box customers would receive a new box at a designated location nearby. Customers would retain the same P.O. Box number if the option to use the same P.O. Box number was available. The USPS would make every possible attempt to minimize the impact to its customers.”
Montague said USPS has struggled in adapting to the Internet and rapidly growing technology.
“Most cost cutting measures would be seamless to our customers,” Montague said. “Although we are taking necessary steps to cut costs and closing offices nationwide, we are expanding our access.”
Montague said the expand in access includes smart phone applications and nearly 63,000 kiosk drop-boxes in banks, grocery stores, pharmacies and retail stores around the nation.
Lankford said USPS lost more than $8 billion last year, and is expected to lose another $8 billion this year and again next year.
“It’s still the best deal in town,” Lankford said. “No one else can say, if you give me 44 cents I will take your letter and deliver it to someone in Alaska.”
Congressman Darrell Issa, R-California filed legislation recently that could lead to the implementation of similar reforms to the USPS.
“We have to do something about efficiency,” Lankford said. “The USPS is a very unique organization. They have heavy federal oversight but they are funded entirely by sales.”
Lankford said the USPS receives no federal funding, yet it requires an act of Congress to increase its retail prices.
“The key thing is to ask if are they struggling with too many federal regulations?” Lankford said. “They need to ask congress if they want to raise the price of a stamp. They are being micromanaged by Congress, they need more latitude in making decisions.”
Montague said USPS has asked Congress to alter the payment schedule of a 2006 mandate that, unlike any other federal agency, requires USPS to prefund retiree health benefits in the amount of $5.5 billion annually.
Montague said USPS has asked to gain access to $50-$75 billion in overpayments made to the Civil Service Retirement System and more than $6.9 billion overpaid to the Federal Employees Retirement System.
“Since inception in 2006, the Postal Service has paid some $20.9 billion into the Retiree Health Benefit Trust Fund,” Montague said. “Under current law, the USPS is scheduled to continue to make $5.5 to $5.8 billion in payments until 2016.”
Another cost cutting measure would be to reduce the number of delivery days from six to five.
“The Postal Service regularly reviews and evaluates its Post Office operations in a continuing effort to better meet customers’ retail needs, improve productivity, increase efficiency and cut costs.” Montague said.
USPS, a non-profit organization, is asking Congress to allow their prices to be determined by demand and not by previously set price caps.
“With the right legislation USPS can return to profitability,” Montague said. “And if given flexibility, USPS can continue to serve the American public very effectively, and continue to sustain and propel American commerce.”
———
Robby Short may be contacted by calling 214-3934.
