PARKVILLE, SURROUNDING ZIP CODES INCLUDED
Maybe there’s hope for improved mail service in the Northland area of Kansas City.
Responding to some pressure applied by mail service customers and by area congressmen, the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced late last week that it will take a serious look at causes of delayed mail and delivery service in the region.
Mail customers in Platte County–particularly those in the Parkville zip code of 64152 and other southern Platte County zip codes, including 64151–have complained for the past couple of years about extremely slow and inefficient mail service.
Many postal service customers have complained to the media, to their local post offices, to officials higher up the chain at USPS, and to their representatives in Congress.
Congressman Sam Graves and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver have said they welcomed the news from the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) that it will begin an audit of delayed mail and delivery operations in the Northland and Kansas City area.
“I’m glad the Postal Service finally decided to wake up and investigate what’s causing these delivery issues, but this must result in action,” Graves said. “The people of Kansas City and the Northland have been dealing with these delays for months on end. This can’t just be an investigation with a report—there needs to be a plan to fix these issues.
“The leadership of the United States Postal Service needs to understand just what they’ve been putting Missourians through and any investigation must take into account the voices of Missourians who have been affected by these delays,” Graves added.
“After months of mail delivery delays and substandard service for Kansas Citians, I’m pleased the USPS Office of the Inspector General has heard our complaints and is taking action—but more will be needed before I’m satisfied my constituents have been taken care of,” said Cleaver.
“I’m thankful to the workers of the USPS and Office of Inspector General for initiating an audit into the challenges in maintaining the congressionally-mandated six days per week mail service for the Kansas City area; however, until concrete action is taken to actually address these challenges, I believe Postmaster General DeJoy should still hear directly from Missourians to understand how his leadership has created unnecessary difficulties for families and small businesses in the heartland.”
The announcement that the USPS OIG will conduct an audit of delayed mail and delivery operations in the Northland and the Kansas City area follows Reps. Graves and Cleaver’s letter to USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Monday, March 20 demanding the Postmaster General come to Kansas City, listen to the concerns of area residents, deliver a plan to fix mail delivery issues, and fulfill the USPS’s legal obligation to deliver mail six days per week.
The Congressmen also sent an Oct. 11, 2022 letter to Postmaster General DeJoy, expressing concerns about the agency’s failure to fulfill their Congressionally mandated duty to provide six-day mail delivery.
In December, the Postal Service responded by complaining about low unemployment rates in the Kansas City area and encouraging residents to apply to work at the Postal Service, without offering any plan for the agency to fulfill their Congressional mandate to provide reliable six-day mail delivery.