ST. LOUIS – Illinois U.S. Congressman Mike Bost is calling for a new audit of the St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center, citing ongoing mail delays in southern Illinois.
The St. Louis distribution center serves as a major regional hub for handling mail, not only for the Greater St. Louis Area, but also parts of downstate Illinois.
On Wednesday, Bost (R-12th District) sent a letter to U.S. Postal Inspector General Tammy Hull requesting a compressive audit of the St. Louis distribution center. He said his office has received a surge in complaints over the past several years, including reports of chronic delivery delays, misdirected mail and missing items.
In his letter, Bost pointed to a July 2022 USPS audit of the St. Louis distribution center that revealed staffing shortages, scanning errors, machine processing issues and thousands of late or canceled mail trips. He claims many of these problems still remain unresolved.
“When seniors fail to receive their medications on time or working families are hit with late fees for bills that never came, it’s clear something is broken,” said Bost via a Wednesday news release. “Southern Illinoisans depend on the Postal Service for timely and reliable mail delivery; if the system fails them, there must be accountability. While an audit was conducted in 2022 with assurances of future reforms, my constituents have not seen the improved level of service they deserve. Therefore, I believe a new top-down review of operations at the St. Louis facility is necessary.”
Bost asked the Inspector General to examine the facility’s staffing levels, training, infrastructure, and whether USPS has followed through on reforms recommended in the 2022 audit.
