Council member introduces ordinance to privatize mosquito control; employees and funding questioned

Council Member Schultz introduced an ordinance on April 23 that would dissolve the Plaquemines Parish Mosquito Control Department and authorize an engagement with Vector Disease Control International to provide mosquito abatement services.

Schultz said the proposal, which his office circulated to council members in November 2025, would reduce annual costs by “I think, 30,000, roughly,” and that administration officials told him all but one current employee could be reassigned within parish civil service during the transition. “All employees except for one we can make lateral changes,” Schultz said.

Christopher Danny, who identified himself as the parish mosquito control supervisor for about 28 years, urged the council to consider the parish workforce and raised a specific historical concern about the contractor listed in the proposal. “Thirteen years ago a company came in, made a lot of false claims, did a lot of really horrible things to me and my crew…they did 13 years ago was criminal,” Danny said, identifying a name on the bottom of the proposal (Pavlovic) and urging the council not to start privatization with the “same element.” He said many current employees have decades of service and asked the council to protect their jobs.

Council members and staff exchanged questions about procurement, budgets and service levels. Council Member Shells responded that the parish’s planned contract is a professional services agreement that, under Louisiana bid law, does not require public competitive bidding. He said the administration had contacted neighboring parishes and that “pretty much everybody that had privatization went with this company, had no complaints.”

Members also pressed administrative staff about funding. Council Member LaFrance asked whether the $7-per-month fee that appears on some residents’ water bills goes to mosquito control. Administration representatives said the mosquito fee generates roughly $1.1 million to $1.2 million a year and that the department’s expenses still required general fund supplements because revenues do not cover all costs.

Supporters of the proposal argue a contracted firm would increase surveillance (landing rates, trap data) and target spraying based on population data rather than a fixed schedule. Opponents and parish employees warned the council to vet any firm carefully because of past problems and to ensure local workers could be retained or offered comparable positions.

The ordinance was introduced for future consideration; Schultz said the council has about three weeks before the matter returns for further discussion. No final vote was taken on April 23.