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The Covington County Commission approved a cost of living supplement for retirees and an easier way to book reservations in Point A Park at a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday.

The commission approved a resolution on Act 2022-229, which is a one-time cost of living supplement to retirees. The county committed $55,234 to fund the supplemental one-time pay amongst all qualified retirees, based on their years of service. Retirees will receive this payment from the Retirement Systems of Alabama in October.

“These retirees who participate in this will receive a little under $1,000 each. It’s certainly an appropriate adjustment because they don’t get this every year and get no cost of living changes to their pay. This helps them keep up with the cost of living,” said Chairman Greg White.

The commission approved entering a 12-month contract with a software company called Bonfire to offer campground software at Point A Park at an annual cost of $1,500.

“Right now, we are taking reservations from the campground host who is booking for us and using an Excel spreadsheet. As we are getting busier, it’s harder to keep up with it in that manner. We have looked at software over the last year and watched a few demos when we came across Bonfire. It will allow anyone who wants to make a reservation to go online and see what is available,” Administrator Karen Sowell said. “It’s fair to say the campground is paying its way and making revenue, so this is an operating expense. It will be a lot more efficient and allow the public to make reservations online instead of making a phone call,” White added.

In other business:

• The commission approved naming Covington County EMA Director Susan Harris to the OCAP board and replacing Nancy Robbins.
• The commission approved the Covington Area Transit System (CATS) budget and renewal of operations for the upcoming year.
• The commission awarded a bid to CR Pate Logging in Evergreen for local lime base.
• The commission awarded a bid to AllReady in Duluth, Georgia, for sandblasting adhesive to be used by the County Engineer’s department.
• The commission approved declaring a mulcher head on a wheeled excavator as surplus, so it can be sold at auction.

The next meeting of the Covington County Commission will be held Tuesday, June 14, 9 a.m., at the Covington County Administration Building. The public is invited to attend.