Fact Finders: Is Springfield, Missouri mail really processed in Kansas City?

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - We count on the postal service to handle everything from mail-in ballots to packages. So, one of our viewers wants to know, “Does our mail leave Springfield, Missouri..., then travel to Kansas City for processing? AND.., then..., return back to Springfield, for distribution?”

The Postal Service made a major announcement in February of 2012. The service stated it would move all mail processing operations from the Springfield, Missouri, Processing & Distribution Facility (P&DF) to the Kansas City, Missouri, Processing & Distribution Center. At the time, The U.S. Postal Service had experienced a 25 percent decline in First-Class Mail volume. A top leader said back then, “The decision to consolidate mail processing facilities recognizes the urgent need to reduce the size of the national mail processing network to eliminate costly underutilized infrastructure.” But it never happened.

USPS Strategic Communications Specialist Tara Jarrett told me in recent days, “All mail for Springfield is processed locally in Springfield.”

So, returning to the viewer’s question, “Does our mail leave Springfield, Missouri, then travel to Kansas City for processing? AND..., then return to Springfield for distribution?”

The answer is NO.

But while the 2012 plan is gone, the postal service now has something called the Delivering for America Plan. As part of this plan, the U.S. Postal Service will re-assess the role of all processing facilities. In other words, stay tuned. Changes could still happen.

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