Pike County Commissioners addressed several issues during a lengthy Monday night meeting.

Carli Barron, from American Marketing & Publishing, discussed two options for Google Maps virtual tours with the commission. She told commissioners that a professional photographer would be in the area creating virtual tours and proposed the commission do a virtual tour of the Pike County Courthouse and Pike County Judicial Complex.

Barron recommended a $595 essential virtual tour package for the courthouse that included 360-degree indoor and outdoor photography as well as 10 still images. She recommended a $895 comprehensive package for the judicial complex. That package included more 360-degree photography of the interior of the building as well as 20 still images. The 360-degree photography is used to generate the virtual tours.

She said the tours would be added to Google Maps, but the commission would own the maps and images and could use the tours and images as parts of other services.

The commission agreed to look into the packages and make a decision at a future meeting.

Leigh Peters with the Alabama Forestry Commission spoke to the commission about the forestry industry. She said Pike County consisted of about 463,000 acres and 67 percent of those acres were forested. She said the forestry industry in Pike County generated about $300 million annually and employed around 1,200 people. She asked that the commission keep the forestry industry in mind when making decisions.

In other business:

• Sesha Dunn also spoke to the commission concerning garbage disposal. She said she and other residents in her area had continual problems with garage pick-up. Cal Franklin, Director of Governmental Affairs for Meridian Waste, said there had been some issues since they took over the contract for waste disposal. He said the company was working to correct the issues. He said Meridian was adding iPads to all garbage trucks and routes would be checked by GPS. He also introduced new Pike County Service Manager Jeff Sexton. Sexton is in charge of all routes in Pike County and said they were working to address issues with missed houses on dirt roads.

• County Administrator McKenzie Wilson said the state had changed the law regarding annual sales tax holidays. She said the commission had previously approved the sales tax holidays in perpetuity, but would have to readopt and re-file those resolutions to be in compliance with the new law.

• The commission approved a Family Medical Leave Act request for an employee of the Pike County Sheriff’s Office and approved the posting of a job listing for a reappraisal position.

• The commission approved new polling places for Needmore and Josie.

• The commission also approved a service payment of $2,434.60 for use of the 911 Active Alert App for the Pike County Firefighters Association. The app allows all firefighters to be notified of emergency response calls.

• The commission also approved Wilson and Pike County Facilities Manager Danny Sleasman to locate a space for the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program in the Pike County Courthouse.

• County Engineer Derrick Donaldson said flashing stop signs for the rail crossing in Tennille had arrived and should be installed this week.