Aerial spraying not expected

The city of Jamestown will continue its current tactics in dealing with mosquitoes after the Jamestown Finance and Legal Committee took no action Tuesday following a report on the program by City Administrator Jeff Fuchs.
The report included the option of using aerial spraying to combat mosquitoes.
“Conversations with West Fargo administration indicate aerial spraying is quite successful for them in getting to typical areas you can’t reach through ground spraying,” Fuchs said. “You have to give 48-hour notice to the public before aerial spraying, and the cost of one application is between $16,000 and $17,000 for a city our size.”
Fuchs said the chemical used in aerial applications is a contact insecticide, which would kill any mosquitoes it comes in contact with but would not have a residual effect to halt future hatches.
Recent rains and anticipated warm weather could bring large new hatches of mosquitoes between now and the Fourth of July holiday, Fuchs said.
“This would indicate that an aerial spray application in the city would be appropriate sometime during the last week of June and prior to the Fourth of July weekend,” he said.
So far this summer, city crews have distributed about 1,000 pounds of larvicide in and around Jamestown. Larvicide is added to standing water and is intended to kill the larval stage of the mosquito before it becomes an adult.
Crews have also applied chemical to kill adult mosquitoes most nights since May 30, when weather permits. The spraying equipment travels down streets and alleys in Jamestown. The amount of chemical applied so far this summer is similar to what was applied during the entire summer in recent years, Fuchs said.
Mosquito control efforts are funded by a $1-per-month charge on water bills in Jamestown. This fee generates about $80,000 per year. The fund currently has a balance of $314,000. There is no property tax money used for mosquito control.
Fuchs said the city will continue its ground-spraying efforts.
In other business, the employee share of health insurance for city employees will remain steady.
Jamestown self-insures and is currently having a year with lower-than-expected claims, Fuchs said. The city will cover an increase in the fees it pays Blue Cross Blue Shield for covering major medical claims.
The Jamestown City Council approved the sale of $3.7 million in bonds to repay its reserves used to purchase the land and make improvements for the Menards store. The bonds will be repaid utilizing half the city sales tax generated by Menards and by the increase in property taxes for the Menards building.
Councilman Dan Buchanan said the total amount to be paid on the bonds was more than $6 million.
The sale of the bonds passed unanimously with Buchanan noting his vote to sell the bonds was not an endorsement of the project.
Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at 701-952-8452 or by email at knorman@jamestownsun.com