TUPELO - The U.S. Postal Service will consolidate services in a nearby city studied in a wave of possible mergers that also included Tupelo.

Outgoing mail processing operations in Jackson, Tenn., will move to Memphis by July 1, the Postal Service announced earlier this month.

Jackson is about 100 miles north of Tupelo and 85 miles northeast of Memphis.

The move will save the federal agency nearly $900,000 annually and reduce Jackson's staff by nine positions.

Tupelo's outgoing mail processing faces the possibility of a similar fate. It was included in the latest wave of consolidation studies launched by the Postal Service to save money. So was that of Grenada.

Although the USPS started all three studies in October and held all three public hearings in January, it has yet to announce decisions for either Tupelo or Grenada. Those decisions were supposed to come 60-90 days after the public comment periods ended.

That was three months ago.

Postal Service spokeswoman Beth Barnett could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The USPS also wants to move Tupelo's outgoing mail processing operations to Memphis. The move would save $181,000 annually and eliminate six positions.

Mail processing in Tupelo happens at the Thomas Street branch and includes sorting, categorizing, stamping and shipping letters and packages.

Postal workers here largely oppose the plan and have the support of Tupelo's mayor and City Council, the Lee County Board of Supervisors, both Mississippi senators and U.S. Rep. Travis Childers, a Democrat from Booneville.

Most say they oppose the move because of the job losses and a potential decline in service. They also lament the loss of a Tupelo postmark; if service is consolidated, mail now stamped "Tupelo" will say "Memphis" instead.

Contact Emily Le Coz at (662) 678-1588 or emily.lecoz@djournal.com.