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County services director asks Bear River council for emergency mosquito-control payment
Summary
A county services director briefed the council on mosquito-control operations and requested municipal support to cover part of the county’s $34,800 spray cost for Bear River this season; the requested supplemental amount is unclear in the transcript and will require verification.
A county services director told the Bear River council the county operates one surveillance trap inside town, conducts roughly 80 miles of ULV fogging routes and sprays about 2,000 acres as part of its mosquito-control program. He said those operations and associated equipment and flight costs lead the county to estimate a spray cost for Bear River of $34,800 for the coming season.
The director said he had intended to include a payment request in the town’s budget but that the request did not reach the council’s packet in time. He asked the council to provide a supplemental payment for the current fiscal year to cover part of the seasonal spraying costs. The transcript shows the amount in the letter as written '3,13.50' (unclear); the director said the county had absorbed costs this year and warned the figure will likely rise in future budgets as municipalities assume a larger share of the expense.
Council members pressed for timing and billing details, asking whether the request was for the current budget year and whether a bill had been issued by the treasurer’s office. The director confirmed the request was for the current budget year and that municipal invoices typically come from the treasurer; he said the county plans to negotiate cost-sharing with municipalities during the January budget cycle for 2026.
The director also described operational constraints: spray flights are weather-dependent, multiple passes are made over routes that total about 80 miles, and aviation, product and fuel costs drive much of the expense. He noted a plane deployment was being targeted for the 23rd of the month, subject to weather.
Council members acknowledged revenue pressures in the county and discussed the prospect that municipalities will absorb a higher share of mosquito-control costs next year if county revenues continue to decline. The council thanked the director for the briefing and said they would consider the request.
The council did not record a formal vote on funding during the meeting; the amount the town will pay (if any) and any formal motion were not specified in the transcript.
