Title
Community Development Services, Environmental Management Department, recommending the Board:
1) Receive a presentation detailing vector control program services on the East and West Slopes of the County; and
2) Provide direction regarding the West Slope program service level. (Est. Time: 30 Min.)
FUNDING: County Service Area 3 Parcel Fees, Local Taxes, and General Fund.
Body
DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
Community Development Services, Environmental Management Department (Environmental Management), recommending the Board:
1) Receive a presentation detailing vector control program services on the East and West Slopes of the County; and
2) Provide direction regarding the West Slope program service level.
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
In response to citizen complaints regarding mosquitoes, the Board adopted Resolution 9-63 in 1963, which established County Service Area 3 (CSA 3) to provide services in both the City of South Lake Tahoe and the unincorporated area of the Tahoe Basin (East Slope). CSA 3 was established for the control or destruction of insects injurious to plant life and the eradication of insects which could introduce dangerous, infectious, or communicable disease. In 1980, the East Slope vector control program (East Slope program) was expanded to a Vector Control District to provide a greater level of vector control services.
The East Slope program is fully funded by property taxes and CSA 3 parcel assessments, and provides comprehensive vector control services including, but not limited to: mosquito identification, breeding source identification, control and treatment; dead bird testing; plague and hanta virus surveillance and response; yellow jacket suppression; and extensive public education and outreach. This East Slope program is staffed seasonally with up to six Vector Control Technicians.
The West Slope mosquito program (West Slope program) was initiated in 2005 in response to the emergence of mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus...
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