Customers at the Probate Office in Pike County will soon be able to pay for tag renewals with a credit or debit card.

“A lot of people carry that plastic in their back pocket instead of cash or checks,” said Probate Judge Wes Allen as he addressed the Pike County Commission Monday night. “We believe this is going to be good for the county and the tax payers.”

The commission voted to allow the Probate Office to contract with Alpha and Omega Processing to install three workstations to accept credit cards to be used by tag clerks. In about six months, Alpha and Omega will evaluate usage to see if the Probate Office should install more workstations for licensing and recording.

“Most counties start out with a 30 percent usage and that grows,” said Victoria Goolsby with Alpha and Omega, adding that she believes that 80 percent of customers will prefer to use credit or debit cards within a year’s time.

Card users at the Probate Office will incur a three percent processing fee.

Also at the commission meeting, it was decided that Pike County would be the first Purple Heart county in the state.

K.T. Cole, commander of Chapter 2205 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, presented the idea to the commissioners.

“It’s a distinction of honor,” Cole said. “There can never be another first.”

The mission of MOPH is to “foster an environment of goodwill and camaraderie among combat wounded veterans, promote patriotism, support necessary legislative initiatives, and most importantly, provide service to all veterans and their families.”

Cole also said the MOPH is also upping their efforts to meet with soldiers returning from duty overseas.

“Going to combat is easy,” Cole said. “Coming home is tough.”

The commission also voted to apply for a second Alabama Transportation and Rehabilitation Improvement Program grant; to fill a vacant accountant position at the Probate Office; to advertise for a vacant position of court clerk; to move forward with a voting center to cost an estimated $11,000; to hire a part-time temporary EMA employee; to award a bid (paid for by a grant) to narrow band county sirens; and to purchase a new siren encoder to be placed at the Pike County Jail and move the current encoder to the EMA office.

It was also reported at the meeting that the Pike County Commission has submitted their plans to the United States Department of Justice to create new voting precincts, voting centers and voting place assignments for Henderson and Ebenezer.

A copy of the submission is available for review at the commission office at the Pike County Health Department building on Franklin Drive in Troy.