CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Several Wyoming government officials, including the governor, are concerned about the future state of Cheyenne’s postal service following a recent public forum.
Gov. Mark Gordon, Sen. Cynthia Lummis and Secretary of State Chuck Gray have recently spoken out against the United States Postal Service’s proposed plan to move some of its mail processing operations from the Cheyenne Processing and Distribution Center to Denver’s P&DC. The officials cite election integrity, mail delays and the closure of Casper’s mailing facility as reasons why they oppose any changes.
On Dec. 12, a representative with the Western USPS Mail Processing Division provided a presentation at Laramie County Community College. According to a Nov. 21 news release from the postal service, the purpose of the event was so USPS could provide the public with results from its Mail Processing Facility Review. Key points of the review include:
- USPS support keeping the Cheyenne facility open and modernizing the facility as a local processing center.
- USPS supports transferring some mail processing operations to the Denver P&DC.
Aside from the LCCC presentation, USPS recently gathered written comments from the public via an online survey, which closed on Wednesday.
Over the past few weeks, though, Wyoming’s elected officials have made their opinions on the mailing process known. The Secretary of State said in a letter dated Dec. 27 that he opposed the mail agency’s proposed changes. Specifically, Gray states in a letter to USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that he believes the changes would compromise Wyoming’s electoral process.
“Since the Postal Service announced its proposal, our office has been contacted by numerous Wyomingites, concerned that processing Wyoming election mail in Denver would delay delivery of mail-in ballots and impede the integrity of Wyoming elections,” Gray states in the letter. “I have these same concerns.”
In her written statement to the postmaster general on Dec. 15, Sen. Lummis expressed her disapproval of the mail processing changes but for differing reasons. She states that moving some of Cheyenne’s mail processes to Denver would result in mailing delays.
“Following the closure of the Rock Springs sorting facility, I have experienced firsthand unnecessary delays and interruptions in mail service that resulted from forcing Wyoming mail to be processed in another state,” Lummis states in her letter. She also claims that the proposal would lead to the loss of at least seven “craft” jobs at Cheyenne’s facility.
Finally, Gov. Mark Gordon has weighed in on the subject. In a Dec. 22 letter to the postmaster general, Gordon states he is concerned about mailing delays that could compound for Wyoming residents. The governor states that Wyoming’s only other P&DC, located in Casper, is closing in 2025.
“Wyoming’s rural residents and small businesses depend greatly upon the U.S. Postal Service,” Gordon states in the letter. “Small businesses in our rural communities cannot afford delays to stay competitive in a global market.”
USPS regional spokesperson James Boxrud told Cap City News that the study presented at LCCC is not indicative of any of the agency’s final plans.
“I can reaffirm that we are not closing our mail processing plant,” Boxrud said via email. “However, we are studying the possibility of moving a portion of our mail processing operations — specifically the outgoing mail.”
Boxrud states that there won’t be any impact to local mail delivery and that post office hours won’t be affected as a result of potential mail processing changes. He added that jobs won’t be affected, though some bids may change.
