US Postal Service may close 13 Metro Detroit offices: 'We're looking at every option'

The United States Postal Service is looking to cut costs by cutting offices.

The government agency released a lengthy list of possible closures on Friday, including 62 offices in Michigan, 10 in Detroit and three others in the metropolitan area.

But spokesman Ed Moore says the USPS has not made any final decisions and residents still have a chance to make the case for saving their local branch.

"We're going to be holding public meetings in those communities to get customer comments and their feedback to add to this and help make a final determination," he said this morning on WJR-AM 760.

USPS hasn't received tax money in decades -- long before email became a primary source of communication for many Americans -- but it is legally obligated to balance its budget. In the past five years, Brown said, the postal service has handled 43 million fewer peices of mail and served 200 million fewer customers, which equates to roughly $2 billion in lost revenue.

Listen: Ed Moore

"We're looking at every option" to cut costs, he said, noting that elimination of Saturday service is still an option.

Local office closures may include Pontiac, Ferndale, Highland Park and the following Detroit locations: The Renaissance Center, Kensington, Livernois, Springwells, Brightmoor, Fenkell, Joyfield, Northwestern, Seven Oaks and Strathmoor.

To compile the study list, Brown said the agency considered how much money it would save by closing each branch, transaction volumes, worker hours and resident access to other branches or third-party retailers that offer postal services.

Community meetings are expected to take place in September. "Nothing's been confirmed," Brown reiterated. "We're just in the study phase for those offices."