PALMETTO, Ga. — Another group of Georgia Lawmakers is putting pressure on the USPS Facility in Palmetto, Georgia.
Early Monday, Representative Mike Collins, joined by Representative Austin Scott and Representative Andrew Clyde, toured the facility, which had been linked to complaints and delays for months.
Following the tour, the group seemed hopeful that conditions might improve soon. They shared that they believe poor communication may have led to the facility's downfall in its first few months of being open. Representative Scott, of Georgia’s 8th district, said he believed that improvement was happening.
“I think ultimately, in the next several weeks, we’ll have not just a solution, but a system that much better serves the American citizens,” Rep. Scott said.
Rep. Mike Collins shared that USPS officials believe first-class mail delays should return to 90% on-time deliveries and that “things may be back up, a little better, in the next six to eight weeks.”
According to the latest USPS data from mid-May, just over 60% of first-class deliveries were on time, compared to the goal of 92.5%.
Monday’s visit comes just a week and a half after Senator Jon Ossoff visited the facility, blaming the ongoing issues on poor management. Representative Clyde, of Georgia's 9th district, agreed but said he thinks it’s improving.
“I think they’ve got that management in place right now to continue to improve, and I expect in the next few months not to get those calls that we’re getting right now from constants who are concerned, and rightly so, about their mail not being delivered, on time,” Rep. Clyde said.
Leaders went on to share a list of other improvements they believe are taking place, including re-configuring the truck routes to get vehicles in and out of the facility faster, as well as using a metric system to track delays.
“If you’re not using metrics, you don’t know if you’re improving, so I was pleased to know that the management in the facility could show us the metrics,” Rep. Clyde added.
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