By Michael YEGHIAYAN

A public meeting is scheduled for tonight, Thursday, July 25 regarding the proposed relocation of the Glendale Post Office located at 313 E. Broadway. The forum, to be held at the city council chambers at Glendale City Hall at 6 p.m., is designed to receive public input on the potential move and outline the details of the proposal.

A replacement site for the Glendale office has not yet been determined, but it will be a smaller facility established “as close to the current site as possible,” according to a statement released by the  U.S. Postal Service.

Because of the continually decreasing revenues across the entire postal system, cost cutting and downsizing efforts have been a commonplace occurrence in recent years. A decrease in the total volume of mail sent in the United States has forced the USPS to shed over 200,000 employees over the past 10 years.

Additionally, increasing wage and health care costs have compounded the agency’s financial woes. A 2006 congressional mandate requiring the postal service to prefund up to 75 years of healthcare costs of its future retirees eliminated its remaining fiscal flexibility.

The postal service does not receive tax dollars to fund its operational costs, but rather relies on the revenues generated through the products and services offered. A statement released by the USPS underscored the agency’s financial vulnerability.

“The Postal Service is in a very serious financial situation and is facing insolvency. Every opportunity to reduce expenses and generate revenue is being considered in order to maintain universal service for our customers,” the statement read.

The 20% dip in mail sent over the past three years alone has forced the agency to consistently increase stamp prices and has publicly considered canceling Saturday service and shift to a five-day delivery schedule.

The potential move is not expected to affect the hours or services provided by the post office branch. ZIP codes and post office box numbers will also remain the same.

  MICHAEL YEGHIAYAN