Postal Service’s plan to speed up delivery in South Dakota is a ‘good first step,’ US senator says

The U.S. Postal Service announced plans Tuesday to improve delivery speed in South Dakota, following years of complaints about service in the state.

Beginning Jan. 1, a Sioux Falls processing and distribution center will become a regional center thanks to new machinery. The plant will handle more of the mail leaving and arriving in South Dakota without the need for processing out of state.

The change is expected to reduce travel time for some letters by one to two days.

“We are pleased that we can make these modernization improvements for our South Dakota customers, and we believe they will see noticeable changes,” the Postal Service said in a news release.

US senator from South Dakota subjects Postal Service to multiple pressure points

The release attributed slower delivery in South Dakota during the past few years to “unintended service issues” resulting from system-wide reforms.

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, said in a speech last month that his office has received thousands of complaints about mail service. He said his staff conducted a test by sending mail from his Rapid City office to Pierre, which is a distance of about 170 miles by car. Rounds said the letter’s 10-day journey took it to Postal Service plants in Denver, then to Des Moines, Iowa, and to Fargo, North Dakota, before it was delivered in Pierre.

“This letter traveled over 1,800 miles across four different states just to end up back in South Dakota,” Rounds said.

The senator has exerted pressure on the Postal Service for improvement. He was part of an effort that convinced the service last year to keep some processing capabilities at its Huron plant, he introduced legislation last month to eliminate bonuses for Postal Service executives, and he placed a hold in June on Senate confirmations of Postal Service Board of Governors nominees that he pledged to keep in place until “service returns to levels at least equal to the days of the Pony Express.”

Rounds’ office issued a written statement Tuesday from Rounds about the Sioux Falls announcement.

“This is a good first step in improving our mail service, and I hope it will begin to reduce delivery times in our state,” the statement said.

The statement also said Rounds is looking forward to additional recommendations from the Postal Service Office of the Inspector General “in the coming days,” following an investigation Rounds requested.

Rounds previously said he had several conditions for lifting his hold on the Board of Governors nominees, including a commitment from the Postal Service to fully implement all findings from the inspector general investigation.