SANDPOINT — Cash and check payments will soon no longer be the only payment option at Bonner County waste sites after commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of a new point of sale system during Tuesday’s business meeting.  

The new POS software will create customer receipts and invoices, along with processing card payments and generating end-of-day reports for 11 solid waste sites and the main office. The new system will replace the need for site attendants to manually write receipts and provide an additional payment option for customers who may not have cash readily available.  

According to a memorandum submitted to the board, the POS will also improve the accuracy of commodity tracking and increase efficiency at the applicable waste sites.  

“It’s still going to be a few months out, because there’s a lot to do to get it going, including implementation and training staff," Operations Manager Melissa Gault said during a solid waste update meeting. “It’s going to be a big job, but I’m excited for it.”  

The software will be a one-time purchase of $30,300 from Stellar Scale Tech System, with an annual subscription cost of $21,760 to cover support and licensing. The annual subscription will be at a locked rate for three years.  

Integration of more advanced technology is part of the department’s capital improvements and is said to be the foundation for future advancements, where Commissioner Brian Domke noted that the system may allow for better cost accounting in the future.  

“This is about building a foundation so that we can have a more intelligent system, and we can do more real cost accounting in the future,” Domke said. “Right now, we’re getting as close as we can to attributing real costs to each type of use, but some of that is still estimate-based, because we don’t have the level of detail that a point-of-sale system would provide.” 

In future meetings, the solid waste department is expected to decide on a renewable QR card pass, as opposed to solid waste stickers, from the same company that is providing the new POS software.  

Though still in the works, the card would be renewable, to eliminate annual mail-outs, in addition to being cancelable if a card was lost or stolen.