Multiple post offices in Ohio failed to deliver thousands of pieces of mail and did not report the delayed delivery, according to a new federal audit.
Two post offices in the Columbus area were subject to the audit, as residents of the region have continued to describe issues with theft and slow delivery.
The East City Annex post office audit “identified about 5,348 pieces of delayed mail located at 10 carrier cases on the morning of January 11, 2022.”
The location at South Columbus Station showed similar delays:
“We identified about 34,561 pieces of delayed mail, which included about 34,528 letters and flats, and 33 packages at 20 carrier cases on the morning of January 11, 2022. In addition, management did not accurately report this delayed mail in the Customer Service Daily Reporting System (CSDRS). While they reported 9,121 delayed letters and flats, this represented only about 26 percent of the delayed mail pieces we identified at the unit,” the review highlighted.
In addition to the delays, both facilities improperly scanned hundreds of packages, which displayed an incorrect “Delivered” message in some cases.
The audit pointed to staffing shortages and failure from management as reasons for the issues.
“Management did not ensure the station had enough resources to deliver the mail each day. Management stated the unit was short-staffed due to carriers being out on COVID-related leave. However, it is still their responsibility to ensure they have adequate coverage for each of the routes. Additionally, management did not report delayed mail in CSDRS because they were not aware of the process. For example, they thought daily delayed mail totals would automatically populate into CSDRS if they were entered into the Operation Impact tab in the Facility Database System,” the audit of East City Annex claimed.
The failure to proper delivery and report mail is the latest struggle for post offices in the state. Last month, employees were forced to begin taping up mailboxes following a string of theft incidents.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
