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Plainview renews aerial mosquito-spraying contract, offers interlocal for neighboring cities
Summary
The council authorized the city manager to sign a contract with Vector Disease Control International and to enter interlocal agreements so neighboring municipalities can join an aerial mosquito-spraying cooperative.
Plainview — The Plainview City Council on Sept. 23 authorized the city manager to sign an aerial mosquito-spraying contract with Vector Disease Control International (VDCI) and to enter interlocal agreements with surrounding cities that wish to join the cooperative arrangement.
Staff described the 2018 model in which Plainview served as the contracting entity on behalf of multiple smaller cities so the combined area meets VDCI's 10,000-acre minimum for aerial application. Staff said that since 2018, 28 surrounding cities have participated with Plainview at times and the combined acreage currently available for spraying totals about 56,000 acres. The city also hosts and stores chemicals at a TCU-approved Tier 2 site at the airport.
Staff said aerial spraying is used only when ground-based larvicide and truck-based adulticide efforts are insufficient. The cost cited for aerial application was $1.98 per acre in flight time; staff gave the example that a 10,000-acre spray would cost about $19,000 for flying time plus the cost of chemicals. Staff noted applications are typically done at dusk because the product is effective when mosquitoes are flying, and they described the chemical volume per acre as roughly the size of a sugar packet.
Councilmember House moved to enter the agreement with Vector Disease Control International and authorize the mayor and city manager to sign the documents; Councilmember Rodriguez seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous.
