Los Banos Rotary Club History
Smith Tells Of Mosquito District

Edgar Smith, manager of the Merced County Mosquito Abatement District, Tuesday noon told members of the Rotary Club something of the accomplishments and future plans of the district, and reviewed briefly the proposed 1950-51 budget, which is before the county board of supervisors for approval.

Tracing the history of the county-wide district since its organization in 1946, Smith said the 15c tax levy the first year netted $130,000, to which was added $90,000 by the state. The state appropriation, incidentally, was one-tenth of the entire state allocation and was given to this county because of the intensity of the local problem and the inability of the county to finance the district.
In 1947 and 1948, Smith said, the tax rate was raised to 23.6c, which brought in roughly $200,000 a year, and the state assistance added another $50,000.
Last year the district trustees reduced their budget to enable a tax reduction to 21.3c, but the board of supervisors reduced the rate to 15c, the minimum provided by law. The reduced income necessitated an immediate curtailment in control work, the discharge of eight men, and reduction in amount of insecticides purchased and used.

This year the district budget is set to require a tax rate of approximately 20c, which with a $40,000 appropriation from the state would be sufficient to permit full scale operations through the coming fiscal year. If approved, Smith stated nine additional fieldmen would be put on the payroll, of whom four would be stationed on the west side during the summer season.
Comparing costs of operation with other districts in the valley and state, Smith said mosquito control is much like buying any other merchandise – you receive whatever amount of control you wish to pay for. At the present time each field operator must handle control work on approximately 193 square miles Average territory for each man in other districts is from 25 to 50 square miles. The proposed budget would allow an increase of manpower to bring the per-man territory down to about 110 square miles, still more than twice as much as the average.

Another thing, Smith pointed out, is that Merced county's assessed valuation is below that of most other counties, and the money raised on a tax percentage basis is less here than in other counties, hence a 20c rate in this county, where the average assessed valuation is about $34,000, would not net as much as it would for instance in Fresno county, where the assessed valuation is approximately $100,000 per square mile.

As to the district's permanent control program, Smith said it is coming along very smoothly, with more than 50 projects already completed on the east side of the county wherein adequate drainage projects have been established in marsh land areas. The district's contribution to such projects is in the use of its heavy equipment, which is rented to farmers and ranchers on a cost basis of approximately $4.50 an hour, including wages of the operator.

To date, Smith concluded, there have been no drainage projects undertaken on the west side, though several are pending at the present time.
Mosquito control cost records kept by the district, Smith said, show that on certain fields of heavy infestation where control work has cost from $300 to $400 a year, the installation of adequate drains have virtually eliminated the control problem. Cost of the drainage, in many instances, is less than the average annual cost of control.

June 13, 1950

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