The Covington County Commission on Sept. 23 approved accepting a landscaping bid using smaller plant sizes for the administration building and courthouse to keep the project under the county's $30,000 procurement threshold and asked staff to return with irrigation pricing.

Staff presented two options: 7-gallon plants for the administration building and 15-gallon plants for the courthouse. The larger option would push the total above $30,000, staff said; commissioners therefore voted to proceed with the smaller plants and to involve the county’s landscaping/maintenance crew to confirm drainage and irrigation needs. "So we're gonna prove this pending the price when the irrigation comes in because it can't go over 30,000," the chair said.

A motion to accept the smaller-plant bid and revisit irrigation pricing was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. Staff said the total for the smaller-plant option was roughly $26,750 but that final irrigation pricing needed to be confirmed. The commission directed county maintenance (Lance department referenced in discussion) to coordinate the irrigation and drainage review before finalizing work.

No firm contract was read into the record; staff will return with a confirmed scope and any irrigation pricing required before proceeding if the total would exceed the procurement threshold.