The United States Postal Service (USPS) has approved a plan to convert the Springfield Post Office into a local processing center and relocate distribution operations to St. Louis, Missouri. This decision has sparked disappointment and concern from Illinois officials, who argue that it will leave the state capitol without a distribution center for crucial state payments.

Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza expressed her concern in a letter sent to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, explaining concerns about potential delays in vital payments such as those to home health care and childcare providers, state vendors, emergency child support, and tax refunds. The official emphasized the potential hardships that even a slight delay in these payments could cause for many residents.

Despite these concerns, the decision to move distribution operations out-of-state was made without addressing the impact on payment delivery times. Comptroller Mendoza requested an impact analysis to ensure that the new system would not result in delays, expressing skepticism about the efficiency of sending mail to St. Louis only for it to be redirected back to addresses in Illinois.

Exposing the scale of the issue, Mendoza noted that their office sends out around 11,000 checks per day, totaling 3 million annually, to various locations across the state. Timely delivery of these payments is crucial for Illinois residents.

In response to the decision, Mendoza called on U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to reconsider and focus on improving service and efficiencies rather than potentially burdening Illinois residents with further delays. The Illinois Comptroller’s Office has pledged to continue working with the Illinois Congressional Delegation to address this issue.