Commission hears report on ad valorem collections

The Covington County Commission approved a list of insolvents, errors, and tax litigations for the 2023 fiscal year during a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 25.

The Covington County Commission issued a proclamation to Opp High School’s MacKenzie Phillips for her state track championship in high jump. She is pictured with Dist. 1 commissioner Kenneth Northey. (PHOTO BY ZACK MAIO)

According to Revenue Commissioner Chuck Patterson, around $15 million in ad valorem tax was collected, with only about $9,000 remaining uncollected.

“We report the insolvents to the Alabama Department of Revenue. These are the business and personal properties that do not get paid for various reasons, and we are still working on clearing those accounts. An example of an error would be when someone who qualifies to file for homestead exemption but may be in the hospital unable to turn the form in. There was only one tax sale property that didn’t sell at auction,” Revenue Commissioner Chuck Patterson said.

In other business:

• The commission recognized MacKenzie Phillips of Opp High School for being the 3A state track champion in high jump. They presented to her a copy of a proclamation approved by the commission commending her for her accomplishments.
• The commission discussed vacancies on the Personnel Review Board, South Crenshaw County Water Authority Board, Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission Board, Covington County E-911 Board, and Covington County Recreation Board. Interested applicants may submit applications at the county administration building Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. until noon, prior to the next meeting. The commission did not take any action on the matter and will discuss these items at a future meeting.
• The commission discussed a per diem policy with county attorney Morgan Arrington. Since the proposed policy has only been available for one day, no action was taken at the meeting. It will be an action item at the next meeting.
• The commission heard from County Engineer Lynn Ralls about a bid for the tie-in and merge lane for County Road 107 and State Route 55. Ralls said a bid for the project came back higher than anticipated at $465,000. Under his recommendation, the commission rejected that bid and approved him negotiating with the bidder. He anticipates that $95,000 can be saved.
• The commission approved the solicitation of bids for gravel in the Engineer’s Department.
• The commission approved the purchase of two tractors to replace inoperable ones in the Engineer’s Department. These tractors will be purchased through either the state bid or another annual bid that the commission is eligible to use.

The next meeting of the Covington County Commission will be held Tuesday, July 9, at 9 a.m., at the Covington County Administration Building. The public is invited to attend.

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