Mosquito control says West Nile activity is up and requests staffing and program support for 2027

Justin Fossek, director of Mosquito Abatement, briefed commissioners on 2025–26 program activity and requested modest staffing and merit pay adjustments for the coming year. He said the county has already exceeded last year's West Nile positives and has completed 76 of 83 spray missions so far — about 91% of last year's total — and set nearly 1,916 traps in 2025. "This is a busier year for disease activity," he said.

Fossek outlined capital and program items for 2027: renewal of the TCEQ pesticide general permit, expansion of larvicide mister capability to treat large standing‑water sites, insecticide resistance testing and a school‑level outreach curriculum. He asked for one administrative assistant (estimated fully‑loaded cost about $85,430 with benefits) and funding for limited merit increases to retain trained field technicians. Commissioners discussed tradeoffs between full‑time and part‑time hires and possible funding sources inside the road and bridge budget; operations staff said the requested items could be absorbed with carryover or reallocation in some cases.

Why it matters: higher disease activity and increased resident service requests drive up response needs and have public‑health implications; the department seeks modest additional staffing to sustain surveillance and rapid response.