Springfield, IL  (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – “Springfield is home to Illinois’ state government. Why are we delaying delivery of important documents by sending them to Missouri? This is a poor decision that will affect each and every one of us.” Those are the words of Illinois Senator Doris Turner reacting to the decision by the United States Postal Service to move distribution operations from Springfield to St. Louis.

USPS announced the decision this week to proceed with a plan to send packages and unprocessed mail to St. Louis for processing. USPS has indicated it plans to invest money in upgrading the current Springfield distribution center as it transitions to a local processing facility.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said, “My office sends out about 11,000 checks a day, or 3 million a year, to locations around the state, and it’s imperative they arrive on-time. U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy should focus on improving service and efficiencies, rather than encumbering Illinois residents with further delays. He should reverse course. I will continue to work with the Illinois Congressional Delegation on this matter.”

State Representative Mike Coffey said, “We must do more to protect workers in Illinois because our communities rely on their services and I’m confident an alternative solution can be found that would benefit the USPS operations and residents alike. I don’t want to see unintended consequences arise from an issue we failed to address to the best of our abilities.”

The move is part of the USPS’ Delivering for America 10-year plan released in 2021. Even with the burden of inflation, USPS said in the DFA plan that it still forecasts break-even operations by the end of the 10-year period.