Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) penned a letter to the United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy requesting to permanently transfer the mail processing activities for Northwest Ohio’s mail from the Michigan Metroplex back to the Toledo Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC).
The local postal carriers and the people who work to deliver the mail do a great job, but unfortunately, for years, the USPS Michigan Metroplex Facility has failed to reliably deliver mail, including bills and absentee ballots, to residents of Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District.
To improve operations so that residents in Northwest Ohio receive their mail on time, Congressman Latta requests an expansion of operations at the Toledo, OH, P&DC to allow for the permanent return of mail processing responsibilities for Northwest Ohio, instead of the USPS continuing to utilize the Michigan Metroplex Facility in Pontiac, Michigan for these duties.
“Over a decade ago, the USPS began to implement policies that resulted in the closure and consolidation of mail processing facilities in Ohio,” Latta’s letter explains. “One result of this new strategy was the consolidation and transfer of mail processing operations from the Toledo P&DC to the Michigan Metroplex facility. Since this decision was implemented, residents, businesses, churches, courts, and Boards of Elections in Northwest Ohio have experienced countless delays in mail delivery, lost or discarded mail pieces, and other failures…. Many of these problems, if not all, can be traced back to failures occurring at the Michigan Metroplex.”
“To fix the situation, I implored the USPS time and time again to improve services in Michigan by any means necessary,” the letter continues. “I was assured for years that the USPS took my concerns seriously and that the problems would be addressed through the hiring of more mail processors, the implementation of better standards and processes, and other so-called remedial actions. Unfortunately, none of these actions have proven to fix the problems with timely mail delivery in Ohio and I have lost all faith in the Metroplex’s ability to effectively process my constituents’ mail.”
“In fact, after receiving feedback from my constituents, it seems that the only action that did improve the mail processing and delivery of Northwest Ohio’s mail was when the decision was made to temporarily transfer processing duties to facilities in Ohio ahead of the 2020 Presidential Election,” the letter concludes. “Given this feedback, along with the closer proximity of the Toledo P&DC to my constituents and the undeniable local benefits it would have for my constituents and businesses, I call on the USPS to develop and implement a new plan, within sixty days, to permanently transfer the mail processing activities for Northwest Ohio’s mail from the Michigan Metroplex back to the Toledo P&DC.”
