A proposal to create aerial maps for Covington County that could have cost as much as $850,000 was rejected by the Covington Coun-ty Commission Monday at the regular meeting.

According to Greg White, chairman of the county commission, the potential cost of the project ranged from $73,000, in which case a base map would be made from aerial photos and the county would be given access to a database - to $850,000 which would involve highly detailed maps with contouring and line art. He estimated that the Alabama Department of Revenue would have contributed up to 20 percent of the costs and that other agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, would have contributed approximately 30 percent combined, to leave the county to come up with matching funds, ranging from about $35,000 to $425,000.

"It is the consensus of everyone that we don't need it," said County Commissioner Glen Powell. "This is a lot of money."

Time was also a factor, White noted, since the photography has to be done within the next week, before the trees leaf out and obscure the landscape.

The commission voted unanimously to turn down the project this year.

In other Commission business, the appointment of former Florala Mayor Glen Zorn to the Department of Agriculture as a deputy commissioner has had a ripple effect. Several committee members had to be appointed to fill those posts left open by Zorn and by his replacement, T.C. Boyett.

County Commissioner Glen Powell was voted in unanimously as Zorn's replacement on the Southeast Regional Planning Commission, and the hole left on the Florala Airport Authority board by Boyett's appointment as mayor was filled by John Garner. Steve Walters of the Andalusia Rescue Squad and Joe Williams, Opp fire chief, were appointed to serve on the Southeast Emergency Medical Council.

Other items covered at the meeting included:

Rejection of a proposal to purchase terrorism insurance

The approval for out-of-state travel for Sheriff Anthony Clark to attend the National Sheriff's Association Conference in Tennessee.

Approval for head jailer Teddy Ray Motley and at least one other to attend a seminar on jail liability

Approval of a letter of support for the Southeast Alabama Mental Health Board for the purchase of new transportation vans

Approval of an agreement with the Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts for audit purposes.