Hollister
– A California consulting firm won a nearly $150,000 contract
with San Benito County Tuesday to explore creating a voter-approved
mosquito abatement district as part of the county’s effort to
reduce mosquitoes and stop the spread of West Nile Virus.
Hollister – A California consulting firm won a nearly $150,000 contract with San Benito County Tuesday to explore creating a voter-approved mosquito abatement district as part of the county’s effort to reduce mosquitoes and stop the spread of West Nile Virus.
Fairfield-based SCI Consulting was hired on a three-year timeline to gauge the likelihood of county voters passing a property tax hike to fund the mosquito abatement district. Such a district might stretch between Aromas, Fairview Road, Highway 152 and Bolado Park, covering nearly 85 percent of the county’s land parcels.
County Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of the contract.
“If the voters would be receptive to it, we have to find a permanent revenue stream for the type of work,” County Supervisor Anthony Botelho said.
Last year the state gave the county $185,000 to rein in mosquito numbers. At the end of the year the county had to send any leftover money – $53,000 – back to Sacramento. The county has requested an additional $55,000 from the state to pay its two part-time mosquito control employees.
But Sacramento’s cash won’t last forever, Supervisor Don Marcus said.
“We’re following the pattern of most rural counties in California,” he said. “It’s unpredictable how long the state will fund this process.”
A $9 property tax hike would bring in $149,130 for the district; an $18 increase would generate $298,260; and if property owners approve a $25 hike, the district would operate with $414,250 each year. Land parcels with higher water tables that are prone to mosquitoes, such as most of north county, would pay more taxes than drier areas in the south.
SCI Consulting specializes in setting up mosquito abatement districts through voter approval. The firm has a perfect record of getting the mosquito districts passed on the ballot. Should its initial voter surveys come back negative, though, the county will drop the project at a loss of $18,000 from the original contract, said Paul Matulich, county agriculture commissioner.
“I think it’s really important that people consider a yes vote,” he said. “This isn’t going away. The program supports itself and doesn’t have to come out of the general fund.”
Mosquitoes carry many nasty viruses, the most notable in this region being West Nile. The virus killed 19 Californians in 2005 and 900 more were afflicted. This year five cases have popped up, all but one in the central valley.
As mosquitoes start breeding in the current heat wave, the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California has launched a television campaign urging residents to dump all standing water so the insects have no place to lay eggs.
Banks Albach covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335, or ba****@fr***********.com.
