Commissioners discuss local mosquito abatement district but take no action

Washington County commissioners recently discussed the process of creating a mosquito abatement district in the county but took no action.
 The issue came up after a county resident inquired about mosquito control to the county clerk, who then passed along the information to commissioners.
 The West Nile virus showed up in late July in mosquitoes trapped immediately north of the Weiser city limits. A week later the Southwest District Health Department said two Washington County residents were confirmed as the first human West Nile virus cases in the state this year. Since then, there have been two additional human WNV cases in the county.
 Washington, Adams and Owyhee counties are among a few rural counties in Southwest Idaho that do not have a mosquito abatement district. Gem, Canyon and Payette counties have formed mosquito abatement districts. Canyon County’s mosquito abatement district has been around for 20 years.
 The SWDH does the trapping and testing of mosquitoes on a contract with the state in counties without abatement districts. Mosquitoes were trapped in locations around Weiser and Cambridge in June and July. The WNV-positive mosquitoes that showed up in Weiser in late July were likely not the only WNV-positive mosquitoes in the southern end of the county, officials said.
 While a mosquito abatement district has been talked about in recent years, it’s not clear if county residents would go for it at the ballot box. The historical precedent in the county suggests to the contrary. Voters turned down an effort to create a similar taxing district more than a decade ago.
 Creating a mosquito abatement district in Washington County would require the measure be placed on the ballot. The county would not have to run a special election solely for a vote on a mosquito abatement district and could put the issue on the ballot during a general election when the voter turnout is the largest.
 Residents also could petition the county commissioners to put a mosquito abatement district before voters. A majority of voters in the county would have to approve it, just like any other taxing district.
 If voters did approve a mosquito abatement district, a board of trustees or commissioners would be formed as the governing body of the district. A budget would have to be set annually. The source of revenue to operate a mosquito abatement district would come from property taxes levied on property within the district.
 Commission chairman Kirk Chandler said one of the biggest issues with forming a mosquito abatement district would be the question of where to set the boundaries. Would an abatement district take in the entire county or just around Weiser? If it included the entire county, the cost could be large to treat mosquitoes from Weiser to Cambridge.
 “The expense of doing it would be huge,” he said.
 County weed and rodent control supervisor Bonnie Davis told commissioners that she lives within a mosquito abatement district in Payette. The district employees treat water sources with larvacide and adults with fogging and do a good job at keeping the mosquitoes in check.
 “It’s worth every penny and more,” she said.
 Following the discussion on a mosquito abatement district, the three commissioners did not indicate one way or the other if they were in favor of putting it before voters anytime soon.
 In the event of a serious West Nile virus outbreak in Weiser, the Southwest District Health Department would likely direct the county to declare an emergency. At that point, the county would be eligible for state funds to pay for emergency spraying or fogging of mosquitoes.