By Trish Svoboda

Following a letter from a delegation spearheaded by U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. on March 7, 2024, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced that it will conduct an audit of mail services in the Kansas City region. This audit aims to assess the operational efficiency of the Processing and Distribution Center.

As part of this extensive audit, the USPS Office of Inspector General will carry out an in-depth examination of the delivery procedures and property conditions at the following sites:

• Post Office at Hickman Mills, Kansas City, MO

• Robert L. Roberts Post Office in Kansas City, KS

• Post Office at Shawnee Mission, Mission, KS

“This audit is a great first step in getting much-needed answers for the Kansas City area communities who deserve reliable mail services,” Senator Marshall said. “We have been sounding the alarm on these delays for months and are now in close contact with the USPS. This audit represents a significant step toward improving services for Kansans, and I look forward to full transparency from the USPS on the problems they find and their solutions. I am committed to delivering results and fighting for quick solutions to alleviate the heartburn and headache that people are facing by simply using the USPS mail services. I will continue to work diligently to see that issues are resolved.”

Delays in mail deliveries have impacted the Kansas-Missouri region, exhibiting some of the poorest performance metrics across the nation. Holdups in processing, sorting, and delivery of mail have affected residents and the functioning of businesses in the vicinity. As per the USPS’s online service performance dashboard, less than 68 percent of First-Class mail is delivered on time, with an average delivery duration of three days.