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Covington County Sheriff Blake Turman made an award presentation to chief clerk Diane Beckworth for her work efforts during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Covington County Commission on Tuesday.

Beckworth has been employed by the Covington County Sheriff’s Office since 2015.

“It is often that we have people who work in the background that go unrecognized. It would be tough to run the sheriff’s office without Diane Beckworth,” Turman said. “She has a can-do attitude and always comes through for us putting our office as priority. She is the backbone of our office in her extensive knowledge and ensures we can operate efficiently and effectively. Without her, we would surely face many challenges.”

Also at the meeting, Revenue Commissioner Chuck Patterson gave an update on 2024 property tax collections.

“We have 361 parcels that remain unpaid. We were scheduled to collect $18 billion in property taxes and are down to .008 percent,” Patterson said.

The county’s tax sale will begin online on May 16, at 9 a.m. Patterson said the goal is to have no taxes remaining to be sold at that time.

“We posted on our website of those left unpaid, so if you know anyone who has not paid their taxes, please let them know. Appraisers this week are helping by putting notices on structures. Hopefully, this will encourage those to come in and pay their taxes,” he said.

In other business:

• The commission approved Rebecca Mauldin to serve on the South Central Alabama Mental Health Board. The appointment will be for a 6-year term.
• The commission approved an agreement with West Gulf Diving Adventures for bridge maintenance at Indian Creek and Potter Road. Under the current contract in place, retroactive approval was given due to the work ceasing on Thursday, April 24. A new contract will need to be provided to the commission in order for work to continue.
• The commission approved a server in the sheriff’s department to be utilized at the E-911 center for streamlining case archive integration. The next step will be for the E-911 Board to approve the server.
• The commission approved out-of-state travel for the sheriff’s office to send four deputies to SWAT training in Okaloosa County, Florida for two days.
• The commission approved declaring several outdated items in the county’s maintenance and IT departments as surplus. Items will be listed on a GovDeals auction or disposed.
• The commission awarded a bid for bituminous surface treatment in the engineer’s office to S&C Materal and Paving of Troy, which was the lone bidder.
• The commission approved awarding a total of $1,000 in contingency funds ($200 each from the chairman and all four commissioners) to be given toward the county schools’ robotic program for expenses incurred at recent competitions.
• Covington County EMA Director Susan Harris announced a trash drop-off day on May 16 at Crystal Springs Park in Red Level. Residents countywide who are Meridian Waste customers may participate with proof of service and valid identification.
• Chairman Michael Smith reminded the public of the Back-to-School Tax-Free Weekend, scheduled for July 18-20.
• The commission went into executive session at the request of the county attorney to discuss legal matters before the meeting adjourned.

The commission will hold its next workshop Thursday, May 8, at 9 a.m. The next meeting of the Covington County Commission will be held on Tuesday, May 13, at 9 a.m. The public is invited to attend both.