USPS audit finds mail delivery, management issues across North Dakota, Minnesota

Jun. 7—GRAND FORKS — A United States Postal Service audit of mail operations in the North Dakota-Minnesota District found issues across the board, ranging from mail delivery to management practices.

The report was released Thursday by the Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General and comes after

reports of mail delays across the region,

from Minot to Saint Paul.

The initial scope of the study was focused on service in the Twin Cities but was expanded after North Dakota's congressional delegation

asked for issues in North Dakota to be investigated.

In the report, six facilities across the district were audited for reports of mail delays, management issues and the conditions of post offices.

The types of facilities audited range from the local post offices to the district's major distribution centers. In North Dakota, the inspector general audited operations in Bismarck, Mandan and Minot. In Minnesota, the inspector general audited operations in Saint Paul, Apple Valley, New Brighton and Eagan. All of the locations had issues.

Between two visits in November 2023 and January 2024, 130,858 pieces of delayed mail were identified. According to the report, many of the issues stemmed from low staffing levels across these facilities — an issue compounded by "the low unemployment rate, applicant residency issues and the competition from postal service competitors," said the report.

Additionally, the report found the facilities failed to keep employee rolls updated to reflect who was actually working at the facility at any given time. Some locations, like Mandan, did not have the correct identification for contractors.

The inspector general's report also found issues with how the district's postal service reports mail delays and tracks deliveries.

"During our reviews, we found that employees scanned packages improperly at the delivery unit, scanned packages away from the intended delivery point, and handled packages incorrectly at all six delivery units," the report stated.

Postal service management did have adequate oversight to verify whether mail delivery was being tracked properly, according to the report. For why that occurred, the cause ranged from misunderstanding between supervisors, being busy with other tasks, access to postal service systems or simply that management was not in the habit of checking.

The report also investigated reports of missing arrow keys. Those keys allow mail carriers to access cluster box units, apartment mail panels and outdoor package lockers. The inspector general's office found 24 missing keys across the district that were not reported missing to the postal service.

Issues of property maintenance and security were also identified in the report. Issues ranged from missing fire extinguishers, handicap-accessible doors not working, and simple lack of facility maintenance.

The report gives seven recommendations:

* The district needs to provide adequate training for management at the postal service facilities for proper mail delivery practices.

* The district needs to review staffing and provide adequate staffing for mail delivery, a recommendation that District Manager Angela Bye disagreed with in her response to the report.

* Identify and implement strategies to improve recruitment and retention of mail carrier and clerk positions.

* Train management how to to property report delayed mail.

* Train management on proper package handling operating procedures.

* Address building safety and maintenance issues.

* Verify that all mail carriers have the correct documentation and employee records.

In a joint statement, Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota; Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota; and Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-North Dakota, said work on solving mail issues in the region doesn't stop with this report.

"The completion of this audit shines a light on the challenges facing postal delivery across our state, but the work does not stop with the release of the audit," the delegation said in a statement. "The postal service needs to implement the inspector general's recommendations in a timely way to ensure homes and businesses receive their mail, packages and other deliveries without delay. That's exactly what we will continue working to accomplish, while also holding USPS leadership accountable to make sure they address local concerns and that any changes to mail processing and other postal operations in our state actually result in benefits to local residents."

Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota, who represents Minnesota's second congressional district, where many of the issues have been located, said in the statement that Bye's disagreement with the staffing levels is concerning.

"It is clear to me that MN-ND District Manager Angela Bye has some serious work to do to get the mail back on track in Minnesota, and her 'disagreement' with staffing recommendations in this report is deeply concerning to me," Craig said. "I look forward to hearing from her, and the rest of postal service management, about their plan to swiftly implement these recommendations and get the mail delivered on time for Minnesotans in my district. And if current management is unable to deliver, Minnesotans deserve new leaders who will."