Jurors approve mosquito‑abatement bids and authorize interviews as chemical costs surge

The Assumption Parish Police Jury approved the parish’s 2025 annual bids for mosquito‑abatement spraying and chemicals and authorized staff to interview applicants for a full‑time ULV truck sprayer after a recent retirement.

Public‑works staff explained that a long‑standing in‑house weekly spray program expanded this year and chemical costs spiked: “In 2022, our chemical cost was $27,000. We’re estimated to end this year at $96,000,” Speaker 8 said, describing a near‑fourfold increase that could strain the abatement fund if trends persist.

Jurors and staff debated options to control costs and improve targeting: rotate chemicals to reduce resistance, conduct trapping and disease‑based testing rather than blanket weekly sprays, and share trapping duties with animal control or other departments. One juror pushed for data‑driven spraying: “It’s the physically responsible thing to do is to only spray when we absolutely need to,” Juror 10 said. Staff warned that residents expect frequent spraying and that switching to a trapping‑and‑spray protocol would require additional personnel time.

Personnel action: the jury’s personnel committee moved and carried a measure to interview and hire from the existing pool of applicants for the ULV sprayer position, emphasizing internal candidates and appropriate background checks. The finance committee likewise approved the low bid for mosquito services as part of routine procurement.

Next steps: staff will bring back a financial request for any hire and follow standard hiring checks; finance staff will monitor the abatement fund and report if chemicals or overtime materially erode the fund balance.