North Shore Mosquito Abatement District outlines services, budget and public dashboard after South Lake consolidation
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Summary
Dr. Mark Clifton described the consolidation with the former South Lake district, said Clark Environmental Services’ existing contract (~$362,000/year) will be absorbed for the next two years, and outlined GIS mapping, larval control (BTI) strategy, West Nile surveillance dashboards, and projected levy reductions tied to reserve drawdown.
Dr. Mark Clifton, executive director of the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District, told the Riverwoods Board of Trustees that consolidation with the former South Lake Mosquito Abatement District expands the district’s service area and brings operational and taxpayer implications for Riverwoods residents.
Clifton said the combined district will grow from about 70 square miles to 95 and will serve roughly 400,000 people. He noted statutory provisions allowing a two‑county district (law originating in 1927) and said Lake County will carry roughly 19% of the property tax burden for the district based on assessed values; Kim Stone (formerly of Highland Park) will serve as the Lake County representative on the district board.
Operationally, Clifton described in‑house staffing, GIS mapping already underway for Riverwoods, a network of traps and a laboratory for pathogen testing, and a public real‑time dashboard showing trap and treatment history. He emphasized that 90% of the district’s work is larval control and that the district uses BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), which he described as targeted at mosquito larvae and nontoxic to people and pets. Clark Environmental Services’ existing contract (two years remaining at about $362,000 per year) will be honored and integrated into district operations while staff work to align data and services.
On finances, Clifton said Southlake’s contribution of about $1.3 million in reserves will allow the district to run a temporary deficit while lowering levies over two years; he projected reductions of roughly $125,000 in Cook County and $100,000 in Lake County in the near term, translating to an approximate 20% drop in that property‑tax line item for affected residents.
Trustees and residents asked detailed questions about effects on pollinators (Clifton said BTI has no effect on bees or butterflies), tick surveillance (an expanding service), treatment methods, equipment emissions (district uses some electric sprayers but wide‑area larviciding equipment is gasoline powered), and whether work can be conducted on nearby forest preserve lands (Clifton said federal refuge guidance offers an approach and that interagency cooperation will be pursued). Clifton said the district plans weekly stakeholder communications and near‑real‑time public data on treatment and surveillance.
The board took no formal vote on the consolidation—Clifton’s appearance provided operational details and answered resident questions. Trustees asked staff to continue coordination with county public‑health partners and forest preserve agencies where appropriate.
