Hollister
– San Benito County property owners will get a chance to weigh
in on a proposed mosquito abatement district in May.
Hollister – San Benito County property owners will get a chance to weigh in on a proposed mosquito abatement district in May.
The program would involve insecticide spraying and other efforts to control mosquitoes, which can be vectors of dangerous diseases. According to a county report, staffers are particularly concerned about Western equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile virus and malaria.
In order to pay for the program, property owners would have to pay an extra assessment fee in their property taxes. For owners of a single-family home, that will come out to $9.80 per year.
But before the assessment can happen, property owners in the proposed district need to approve it. The county plans to mail out ballots on May 8, and property owners will have 45 days to respond. The votes will be weighted by how much the property owner will be expected to pay.
The program would include most of the populated areas in San Benito County; land south and east of Paicines will not be included.
