Latta wants Michigan to Ohio mail transfer

Van Wert independent/submitted information

BOWLING GREEN — United States Congressman Bob Latta penned a letter to the Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service to request a formal inquiry into the possibility of transferring mail processing responsibilities for Northwest Ohio from the USPS Michigan Metroplex Facility in Pontiac, Michigan to either the Cleveland Mail Processing Plant or the Columbus Mail Processing Plant.

Latta said local postal carriers and the people who work to deliver the mail do a great job for years, but claimed the United States Postal Service Michigan Metroplex Facility has failed to reliably deliver mail, including bills and vote-by-mail ballots.

“After the closure of the Toledo Mail Processing Plant in 2012, a new system was arranged where mail from Northwest Ohio was to be sent to the Michigan Metroplex for processing and sorting, before heading to its destination,” the letter explains. “Unfortunately, this process has created delays and added time to the delivery of each mail piece. In addition to delivery delays, we have also seen increased instances of lost or discarded mail. The most egregious example of this was in 2016 when hundreds of absentee ballots were lost.”

“Since 2016, I have tried to work with the Postal Service to get answers as to why these delays continue to occur and if the Postal Service could improve the operations at the Michigan Metroplex,” Latta said. “I received assurances that the Postal Service took these matters seriously and were working to improve operations. Sadly, even with these assurances, I continue to receive a constant stream of complaints from my constituents about mail delivery issues, ranging from delayed mail to lost mail.

“Local courts have seen delayed delivery of jury summons, seniors have been forced to pay late fees because the delivery of their bill payments was slowed and voters have had to worry about their ballots not being counted due to delivery delays,” Latta added.

“With the continued uncertainty created by the COVID-19 health crisis, I expect that we will see a large increase in the number of voters choosing to cast their ballot through the mail this fall,” the letter concludes. “That is why it is imperative that the system is working, and the mail is being delivered in a timely fashion. I cannot place confidence in the Michigan Metroplex to accomplish this goal.”

Latta, a Republican from Bowling Green, represents to Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Van Wert, Paulding and Putnam counties.