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Grant County will stop charging labor and equipment fees for prairie dog baiting; only material cost billed
Summary
After debating fairness and taxpayer funding, the Grant County commission voted Jan. 20 to stop charging hourly labor and equipment fees for prairie dog baiting and to charge only for bait material going forward; the motion carried unanimously.
The Grant County Board of County Commissioners reviewed the county's prairie dog control billing practice during the Jan. 20 meeting and voted to change the policy so that landowners are charged only for the bait material rather than also being billed for labor and equipment time.
Commissioner John Martin said he believed taxpayers already cover the labor through existing funding and that adding labor and equipment fees could discourage landowners from addressing prairie dog problems that can affect neighboring properties. Commissioners noted the bait cost varies, generally from $60 to $72 per bucket, and the county had been charging $85 per bucket plus $25 per hour for labor and $25 per hour for equipment. Commissioner Figgins raised concerns about fairness to landowners who had already paid labor or equipment charges earlier in the year; the board agreed those past charges could not be altered but the policy would be corrected going forward. The motion to charge only for material while continuing to provide labor and equipment services passed unanimously.
