Property owners living in the mosquito abatement district may see their annual property assessment increase by 82 cents if San Benito County supervisors approve the change after a public hearing July 9.
Agricultural Commissioner Ron Ross presented the annual engineer’s report for the mosquito abatement program Tuesday, which recommends an increase this year from $10.08 to $10.90 per single-family equivalent unit to cover the cost of replacing equipment.
Ross said the program is charged with public education, prevention and control.
“Our biggest public education push is at the county fair,” Ross said. “We reach a real large cross-section of the community. We also have a booth at the farmers market.”
Ross said in terms of prevention, the department treats storm drains in Hollister and San Juan Bautista with larvicide. They also work with owners of green pools to prevent the growth of larva.
“We rely on tips from neighbors, but last year we contracted with an aerial photographer who comes into Gilroy and Watsonville,” Ross said. “We’ve been able to identify 30 or 50 pools per year.”
When left untreated by chlorine, pools can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Ross said they had already done the flyover this year and are working with homeowners from some of the identified pools.
“We are finding that people let their pools go for the winter and then start cleaning them out when school gets out,” he said.
The program staff members also give out mosquito fish to rural residents who have water troughs or ponds with standing water. Ross said the program staff members have a couple of ponds where they breed the fish to give out each season.
When large numbers of adult mosquitoes are present, the staff members will use fogging to diminish the populations. He said it was used in some rural areas last year.
The program was established in 2005 when a state requirement came down that each county should maintain an abatement district to prevent the spread of West Nile virus. The county initially received grant funding to purchase much of the equipment used for the program, but it has since deteriorated. The ordinance that established the mosquito abatement district allows for a cost-of-living adjustment of up to 3 percent a year. For 2013-14, the recommended budget is expected to be $202,101.
Ross said the county could increase the assessment per single-family equivalent benefit unit up to $11.15, but based on the budget needs, his office recommended raising it to $10.90.
Ronald Terry, an agriculture biologist with the agricultural commissioner’s office, received a certificate of recognition for his five years with the county at Tuesday’s meeting. Terry, who is retiring, has worked with the program for three years. Ross said Terry had made the mosquito abatement program operations efficient in his time with the county and that other staff members will continue the program.
