Salem Township looks to speed up eviction of its post office, leaving customers' options in question

According to a complaint filed Wednesday by the township against Linda Hamilton, who runs the post office and has leased the space for 11 years, Hamilton has refused to pay any increases in rent.

Since she started leasing the space, she has been paying $250 a month and has a separate written contract with the U.S. Postal Service, the complaint says.

In addition, the complaint says the space is needed by the township to ease overcrowding in municipal offices in the same building, including for the township clerk, the deputy clerk, the building administrator and the elections coordinator.

Should the township prevail and if it is unable to find another location for the post office, it could lose its ZIP code, requiring residents to pick up mail in neighboring townships, Hamilton's attorney, Steven Matta, has argued in a previous filing.

Residents who are not eligible for home delivery use the post office, but would potentially have to travel to Northville, Plymouth or South Lyon for service.

It's unclear how many customers would be affected. The post office has more than 200 mailboxes, Hamilton said, and offers parcel post, priority and express mail for packages of up to 70 pounds, as well as other services.

Hamilton deferred questions about the number of customers who could be affected to Northville Postmaster Brian Smith, who could not be reached for comment Friday.

It's the latest step in a fight that began last April when the Salem Township Board voted 4-3 to evict the post office. On Aug. 19, Hamilton was served with an official notice to vacate the premises no later than Sept. 27, the complaint says, but did not.

She has been fighting the case, including claiming in court documents that the local courts have no jurisdiction because of her contract with the U.S. Postal Service. She said she's looking forward to responding to the allegations in court and questions why the township made the latest filing, given that the trial is a few weeks away.

“Everybody gets their day in court and that’s all I want,” she said. “I’m not making any delays.”

If the post office shuts down, it will have consequences, she said.

"I have people that get their mail here," she said. "People that get their Social Security checks. People that get their medicine."

The township claims in the complaint that it has a constitutional right to "control its public buildings and to govern matters of local concern," including an eviction in a portion of the township's municipal complex.

A hearing on a motion in the case seeking the order is scheduled for Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in front of Brown.

Lee Higgins is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and e-mail at leehiggins@annarbor.com