Erica Farmer and Marc Whitacre couldn’t just slap on a coat of paint and move into their new house because their home is one of America’s treasures: an abandoned post office in Havre, Montana, that’s on the National Register of Historic Places. Read more
E-commerce is growing dramatically. Competition is increasing among package delivery companies as customers increasingly favor online retailers over brick and mortar stores. Online shoppers want their purchases delivered quickly, reliably and affordably. Hence, the USPS must optimize its parcel delivery service to meet demand and increase revenue. The USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) noted…
On July 9, 2015, Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) introduced (S.1742), The Rural Postal Act of 2015. This bill is intended to improve both rural mail service and the morale of rural postal workers. Following her “Fix My Mail” initiative—wherein Heitkamp examined the postal concerns of rural North Dakotans—Heitkamp has introduced a bill that proposes to…
Before negotiating a lease renewal, a postal lessor should ascertain the facts about the leased facility. First, the lessor should call the postmaster or branch manager of the building. The postmaster can be a lessor’s natural ally in keeping a building occupied. Important topics to discuss with the postmaster include the facility’s operating hours, the…
By Harry Glenn
The House Appropriations Committee approved legislation June 17th that would prevent the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from consolidating or closing small and rural post offices.
The provision is included in the Fiscal Year 2017 Financial Services Appropriations Bill, the legislation that includes funding and oversight for USPS. The full House will consider the legislation later this year.
This provision was included in similar legislation last year and was signed into law last December. Because it is a part of an annual appropriations bill, it must be approved by Congress one year at a time.
The Postal Service must occasionally order an emergency suspension of service at a postal facility. The most common occurrences which justify such an emergency suspension are when a post office is not tenantable because of storm damage and/or unsafe health or safety conditions, such as those involving the presence of toxic mold or asbestos. When…
by Harry Glenn
As predicted at the May conference, the House and Senate will make another attempt at moving postal reform and modernization legislation through Congress as early as this summer. This makes it more important than ever that each AUSPL member makes contact with his or her member of Congress to share the association’s interest in this matter.
AUSPL President Morgan Wolaver, Board Member Gary Phillips and Director of Operations Mark Karolczyk visited Capitol Hill May 20 and 21 to meet with key members of Congress and legislative staff who will be drafting postal legislation.
Sales and leasebacks of real estate owned by the US Postal Service is one solution proposed by commentators for easing the USPS financial woes. Though the condition of the USPS’s finances has improved, the problem is far from resolved. Leveraging its real estate portfolio would provide necessary cash for upgrading its infrastructure and maintaining delivery…
In its April 22, 2015 report on the Postal Service’s management of CBRE real estate transactions, the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) recommended the Postal Service “terminate and recompete” the CBRE contract. The report is fourth in a series evaluating the Postal Service’s management over the global real estate firm. Two of the OIG…
Like many other governmental agencies, the USPS pays for services after they are rendered. Therefore, rent is paid at the end of the month, which is considered the service period. Rent due for a partial month will be prorated based upon the portion of the month during which the postal service had occupancy. In the…