Tax will raise $4 million annually to control mosquitos and
rodents
San Jose – A measure to raise property taxes to fight West Nile Virus and other diseases spread by mosquitos, rodents and other so-called vectors passed overwhelmingly Tuesday, with 69.4 percent of homeowner voters agreeing to pay an additional $8.36 a year to attack pests in the county.
“This is the central issue for vector control,” program manager Tim Mulligan said. “We had faith in homeowners and we think 69 percent of the vote speaks volumes that they feel the service is worth it.”
The success of the measure means the typical homeowner will pay $13.44 annually to support the county’s vector control district, compared to the current standard assessment of $5.08.
The levy will raise $4 million annually for the district, which now receives $2.7 million a year through property taxes and has a budget of $3.3 million. County supervisors approved the ballot, which cost the district about $300,000.
The money, along with a $200,000 disbursement from the state, will be used for year-round mosquito and rodent control and disease prevention, particularly West Nile. Mulligan said the district plans to fill five vacant technician positions immediately and hire four more seasonal workers next year.
“The money from the state will be an immediate help,” he said. “We won’t see the assessment money until January, but we will be able to get a jump on the mosquito population in February-March.”
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne disease that is deadly to birds, horses and humans. Humans can be infected if they are bitten by a mosquito that has also bitten an infected bird, but the virus can not be passed person to person. So far, the county has identified 22 positive birds, mostly in the Almaden and Willow Glen areas of San Jose.
Mulligan said that area is a “hot spot” because it is urbanized and populated with about 4,000 swimming pools and countless other containers friendly to mosquitos, which breed in standing water. Vector control technicians have begun knocking on doors in those neighborhoods to urge residents to check their properties for standing water and wear pest repellent.
“Every backyard is potential source,” Mulligan said. “I know people are tired of hearing this, but you have to look out for standing water.”
August has traditionally been the most active time of year for the virus, but so far the drastic outbreak predicted by district staff in the spring has not occurred. There have been no horse or human cases this year. Last year, there was one human case in the county.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in mosquito activity due to the wet weather,” Mulligan said. “What we’ve not seen is a significant increase in positive mosquito pools.”
Through Tuesday afternoon, there were 36 reported human cases of West Nile virus in the state and two fatalities. Last year, the worst of the virus was in southern California, where there were more than 800 confirmed cases in humans and 27 deaths. In San Bernardino County, 12 of every 1,000 residents were infected.
Twenty-one agencies up and down the state have gone to the voters in recent years seeking more money to combat the disease, including San Mateo and Napa counties, which passed measures in 2003.
“The bottom line is that people see where the money is going. They see a value so they don’t mind paying for it,” said Michael Hearst, spokesman for Orange County Vector Control, which passed a similar measure last year.
The measure was mailed to property owners in the late spring. It was a weighted ballot that required a 50 percent plus one vote majority of the total assessment levied on those who voted. The tax also needed the approval of Santa Clara County supervisors, who voted unanimously Tuesday to endorse it.
Turnout was about 30.4 percent.
The measure is the second countywide all-mail ballot this year In May, two measures to boost property taxes for the county library system split at the polls. Voters approved Measure A, which reinstated a 10-year $33.66 library tax, by a large majority. Measure B, which would have levied an additional $12, narrowly failed.
