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During its meeting Tuesday, the Covington County Commission heard concerns from County Engineer Lynn Ralls about two proposed bills currently being considered by the State Legislature that could affect local road and bridge projects.

Ralls said he encourages everyone to reach out to local elected officials, especially Sen. Josh Carnley and State Rep. Matthew Hammett, asking them to vote “no” on Senate Bill (SB110) and House Bill 204 (HB204).

If passed, the bills would allow an increase of tonnage being transported per vehicle axle.

“The bill available online does not change the gross weight of the vehicle, but it adds 10 percent to the axle. The state’s legal limit right now is 40 tons. If this bill passes, it will go to 44 tons per axel, which is huge. Although the whole weight doesn’t change, if you take a trailer and put all the weight on two axles and up to the legal limit, that puts an additional 10 percent of tonnage on our roadways and our bridges,” Ralls said.

Information provided by Ralls indicated that the passage of the bill could result in a reduction of 7 miles of roads being resurfaced annually in Covington County alone, with the cost for those projects increasing by over $860,000.

In 2024, the county resurfaced 22 miles of road. In addition, he said a total of 348 county bridges across the state would have to be restricted because of the higher weight limits being hauled.

According to information from the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, the bill would increase annual county road resurfacing expenses statewide by approximately $54.8 million. ALDOT estimates an additional $150 million that will be needed annually for resurfacing state-maintained roads.

“This will create a big burden on the county and an even bigger burden on our deteriorating roads,” Ralls said. “We know what the situation is with our roads, and I would like to discuss the disparity of Covington County. During the gas tax, we put together all of our information in 2012 and saw that Covington County is in the deficit about $10 million every year just to keep up with the infrastructure we have right now.”

Ralls added that the gas tax was based on the population of the county.

“We are about 34th or 35th in population. There is a big disparity on our infrastructure costs and where our budget was. This is just another nail in the coffin if this bill passes to us. It’s an important issue, and I can’t express enough how important it is to vote ‘no’ on this issue. If you think roads are bad now, it will only get worse if this bill passes,” he said.

“If this passes and log trucks are able to increase [its load weight], all the other trucking companies are going to be, ‘why can’t we do it?’ It’s going to cause more deterioration with state roads, county roads, and whatever they travel on. In no shape, form, or fashion are we trying to demonize this industry. We want this industry and it’s huge for Covington County, but we can’t let it destroy what we have worked so hard to keep up,” said Dist. 4 Commissioner Tommy McGaha.

In other business:

• Revenue Commissioner Chuck Patterson provided an updated on 2024 property tax collections and said that over $17 million is collected thus far.
• The commission approved a change to a manning chart and workforce classification for the Engineer’s Department. Ralls said the matter was the reclassification of one employee from road and bridge superintendent to road and bridge foreman. The new role will be geared toward work on the county’s bridges.
• Board appointments for the Covington County Recreation Board and Covington County Department of Human Resources were each tabled.
• The commission approved county levies for alcohol licensing to be in compliance with the maximum amount allowed by state law.
• The commission approved an Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control restaurant retail liquor license for The Twisted Turnip in Sanford.
• The commission approved out-of-state travel for the Sheriff’s Department to send two employees to attend the third annual Kimble’s Users’ Conference on March 4-5 in LaGrange, Georgia.
• The commission approved the solicitation of bids for hot mix asphalt in the Engineer’s Department. Ralls said this was an annual bid that expired last month.
• The commission approved declaring three dump trucks, three backhoes, and a Mack chassis in the Engineer’s Department as surplus. The items will be sold through a J.M. Wood auction in March.
• The commission adopted a resolution in support of local legislation imposing an excise tax on alternative nicotine and synthetic-controlled substances. The resolution will be presented to State. Rep. Hammett to present in the House.

The commission will hold its next workshop on Thursday, March 6, at 9 a.m. The next meeting of the Covington County Commission will be held on Tuesday, March 11, at 9 a.m. The public is invited to attend both.