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HELENA- Some people are disappointed with the U.S. Postal Service's decision to shut down some of its processing services in Helena, but USPS officials say that the changes will be cost-effective and help the service with ongoing budget issues.

Under the new changes anything being mailed from Helena to Helena will travel 180 miles to Great Falls and then back to be processed.

Mail coming into Helena will still be processed at the Helena post office.

Helena resident Robert Molash said, "I think it's really, like I said, idiotic for mail to go clear to Great Falls when it's going to come back here and go across town."

Fellow resident Kim Marks commented, "When you first think about it, it seems a little crazy, but then the Post Office operates as a business and they probably have the trucks anyway so maybe they aren't wasting their money."

The plan in Montana is to close processing centers in Butte, Helena, Havre, and Miles City, which would result in the loss of up to 43 postal service jobs. In Helena, at least seven employees are expected to lose their current positions.

"Those employees affected will be able to be reassigned to other jobs," says USPS spokesperson Al DeSarro.

Janet Kosnik, president of Helena Local APWU, said, "At this time we don't know if they will be in the Helena office, if they will be in Great Falls. We don't know."

John DiPeri, USPS District Manager, said, "The initial study shows that it will be a savings to the postal service of about $200,000 year."

But U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) stated last week, "The decision will slow the service Montanans depend on and cut jobs we can't afford to lose."

However, USPS officials say they simply don't have a choice. For the last five years, the USPS has been losing money due to more people using the internet, and fewer sales of stamps and other services at their windows.

DeSarro noted, "Some of those requirements where we have to pre-pay health retiree benefits, that costs us $5.5 billion per year. Private businesses don't have to do that, nor do other governmental agencies."

The USPS is expected to seek Congressional approval to adopt a five-day delivery schedule in hopes of cutting more costs

The new changes in Helena are scheduled to take effect in January 2012.