Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Operations Communications topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
3 Forks Mosquito Board discusses operations: traps show no West Nile, budget reclassification, record rebuilding and fogging communication
Summary
Board members reported no West Nile positives, discussed budget reclassification as Broadwater County assumes district control, began in-house logging to rebuild treatment records and debated notification methods after a fogging run was canceled for high winds.
Board members for the 3 Forks Mosquito District reported operational updates and debated how best to notify residents after a planned fogging run was canceled because of wind.
Staff reported that district trapping has found no West Nile virus positives. Trap counts near the river are driving treatment needs, the board said, while drier parts of the district have lower mosquito pressure. Board members and staff discussed how irrigation and fluctuating river and dam flows—creating stagnant pools and standing water in fields—can support mosquito breeding even in drier years.
The board also discussed the mosquito budget. The budget as presented to the county commissioners still listed a $6,000 line for contractor expenses; board members said the county will assume district control and the $6,000 should be reclassified to county personnel rather than contractor expenses. One board member said she had discussed the change with Debbie Kelly, and staff said they will work with county accounting to update the classification.
Board staff said they have started in-house logging of past treatments and outreach plans. Historically, GPS sheets and ride-along logs were created and kept with county records; a board member said she forwarded those records to county staff in the past and will provide a current list of residents and historical service locations to help fine-tune treatments.
A scheduled fogging run the previous night was canceled after on-site wind measurements exceeded safe operating thresholds. Staff said wind at times exceeded about 15 miles per hour in parts of the district, so the treatment did not proceed. The board noted the cancellation had been posted on the district Facebook page and that staff plan to run notices in local papers; several residents at the meeting asked whether the district could call individual residents before fogging runs. Board members and staff said calling every resident would be impractical for several hundred people in the district, but staff agreed to provide the resident list to the requester and to continue using Facebook and newspaper notices. Staff said they have been answering or returning calls as quickly as possible when contacted.
Other items: the board began an in-house communications effort to ask residents to report prior service patterns (for example, driveways or properties that had previously received treatment) to help reconstruct treatment maps. There were no formal votes on budget reclassification or the fogging communications process during the meeting.
The board noted its next meeting will be August 19 at 3:30 p.m.
