Iowa delegation keeps pushing to retain SC postal distribution center
By Bret Hayworth Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, February 03, 2006
Members of the Iowa congressional delegation kept the pressure on the U.S. Postal Service, sending a letter asking Postmaster General John Potter for a chance to provide input on the possibility of moving processing and distribution duties from the Sioux City post office.
Since learning in December that a postal study could result in the processing center moving from Sioux City to Sioux Falls, a host of Siouxlanders have sought input into the process. That has included a Jan. 26 meeting in Washington D.C. brokered by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, which brought Sioux City councilmen, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce officials and others in the same room with postal officials.
Moving the processing/distribution duties elsewhere could mean the loss of more than 100 jobs and result in slower delivery times in Siouxland.
On Thursday, Harkin, 5th District Congressman Steve King and the other five members of Iowa's congressional delegation sent a letter to Potter. The letter includes a request -- an idea of King's -- that once the USPS study is done, it be provided for review by Sioux Cityans. Further, the missive asks that Sioux City officials be given an opportunity "to provide a competing study with viable options for consideration before a final decision is reached."
"Sioux City has a right to be heard in the fate of this center," King said. "If we can produce a more efficient model for mail processing, then it is common sense we should be able to keep our postal service."
The letter requests a solid accounting of costs related to a change, including the cost of moving the facility and the possibility of increased transportation costs. The congressional delegation also asks for more details of the timeline in which the distribution center decision will be made, saying there is a great deal of uncertainty on timing.
The letter reads, "Perhaps most important of all, our local postal customers and businesses have received no explanation of likely delays and degradations in service that would result from consolidation."
Two measures from Harkin remain in the works.
Last week he included a provision in the postal reform bill, under consideration by the Senate, to block USPS from implementing any consolidation study until a "transparent, public process" includes community input.
Additionally, Harkin requested the Government Accountability Office to conduct a follow-up study to a 2005 report on postal strategy for realigning mail processing operation. Harkin contends that eight months later, "USPS appears to have made little progress in implementing GAO's recommendations to develop a clear, transparent and consistently applied process that includes stakeholder consultation and communication."
Since learning in December that a postal study could result in the processing center moving from Sioux City to Sioux Falls, a host of Siouxlanders have sought input into the process. That has included a Jan. 26 meeting in Washington D.C. brokered by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, which brought Sioux City councilmen, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce officials and others in the same room with postal officials.
Moving the processing/distribution duties elsewhere could mean the loss of more than 100 jobs and result in slower delivery times in Siouxland.
On Thursday, Harkin, 5th District Congressman Steve King and the other five members of Iowa's congressional delegation sent a letter to Potter. The letter includes a request -- an idea of King's -- that once the USPS study is done, it be provided for review by Sioux Cityans. Further, the missive asks that Sioux City officials be given an opportunity "to provide a competing study with viable options for consideration before a final decision is reached."
"Sioux City has a right to be heard in the fate of this center," King said. "If we can produce a more efficient model for mail processing, then it is common sense we should be able to keep our postal service."
The letter requests a solid accounting of costs related to a change, including the cost of moving the facility and the possibility of increased transportation costs. The congressional delegation also asks for more details of the timeline in which the distribution center decision will be made, saying there is a great deal of uncertainty on timing.
The letter reads, "Perhaps most important of all, our local postal customers and businesses have received no explanation of likely delays and degradations in service that would result from consolidation."
Two measures from Harkin remain in the works.
Last week he included a provision in the postal reform bill, under consideration by the Senate, to block USPS from implementing any consolidation study until a "transparent, public process" includes community input.
Additionally, Harkin requested the Government Accountability Office to conduct a follow-up study to a 2005 report on postal strategy for realigning mail processing operation. Harkin contends that eight months later, "USPS appears to have made little progress in implementing GAO's recommendations to develop a clear, transparent and consistently applied process that includes stakeholder consultation and communication."
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