Flathead County commissioners on May 9 approved a lease agreement for a Pitney Bowes SendPro C Lite mail system for the county elections office.

Elections Manager Paula Buff told commissioners the machine will weigh and stamp outgoing mail and that a lease was more affordable than purchase because it includes maintenance and replaces a $25 monthly Pitney Bowes fee. The lease term is 60 months, she said, and the office expects to save on per-piece handling fees previously paid when the mail room processed election mail.

Buff said the county’s nonprofit postage rate and the Pitney Bowes contract will make mailings cheaper even for small batches, estimating about a 4-cent per-piece savings compared with prior handling and postage practices. The machine will be used by elections only; she said it will not be shared with other departments. Commissioners moved and approved the document for signature by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

The transcript does not include the lease’s total or monthly payments or whether the lease includes an option to buy at term end.