Council rejects plan to privatize Plaquemines Parish mosquito control after extensive public comment

Plaquemines Parish Council on July 9 declined an ordinance that would have dissolved the parish mosquito control department and contracted services to Vector Disease Control International (VDCI), following an extended public-comment period and split council debate.

The ordinance, offered by Council member Schultz and seconded by Council member Newsom, proposed reassigning the mosquito-control fee revenue and contracting for abatement services. Schultz told the council the contract proposal would reduce typical annual costs from about $1,200,000 to $978,000 — roughly a $200,000 annual savings in a normal year — and said town-hall feedback in his district showed substantial support for the change.

Opponents, including multiple residents and council members, urged the body to keep operations in-house. Carolyn Denny, speaking at the podium, said, “Chris has dedicated 30 years of his life to this parish,” and asked the council to invest in equipment and trucks rather than replace the local crew. Emily Denny Hall, who identified herself as the supervisor’s daughter and described experience in vendor management, warned outsourcing often shifts public dollars to private profit and can reduce service levels after the sales pitch ends.

Several council members pressed for more documentary evidence of underperformance. Council member LaFrance repeatedly asked administration to specify “what is wrong with mosquito control” and whether the parish received multiple proposals; LaFrance and others questioned whether one bid alone provided a sufficient basis for such a structural change. Council member McCarty said a two-month data sample showed the department’s testing and scheduling processes were inconsistent with written procedures and recommended administrative and technology improvements if the parish retained the department.

Council member Champagne argued privatization represented a different approach residents had requested and emphasized constituent complaints about late-evening mosquito activity, saying, “We have got to do something different.” Others, including Jurisic and Edwards, said the problem appeared to be leadership and administration rather than the field crews, who know local geography and patterns.

The council called the question and the motion failed on a 4–5 vote. Because the ordinance did not pass, the parish will keep the existing in-house mosquito control department for now; council members seeking changes said they would press administration for clearer operational plans and budgets.

What’s next: Council members who opposed privatization asked administration and mosquito-control staff for a detailed equipment and staffing needs list to consider during upcoming budget deliberations.