It looks as if McMinnville Public Works may not be spraying for mosquitos this summer. The equipment is down and needs to be replaced.
“The old equipment we’ve used for years has finally failed,” said McMinnville Public Works director Bill Brock. “If we don’t have the equipment, we can’t spray.”
With this budget year almost at an end, fiscal year 2011-12 not being set until September, and the time required for the bid process on new equipment, Brock doubts there will be any spraying done this summer unless the old equipment can be fixed.
“Unless we can get this equipment up and running, I don’t think any spraying will be done this summer,” Brock said “Right now, we are checking on getting the equipment operational and the cost to replace, if we have to do that.”
Some city residents are already upset by the possibility of no mosquito spraying.
“I can’t believe they are not going to spray this year,” said J.L. Jordan of Oriole Drive. “We are already covered in mosquitos over here. They are bigger than they were last year. We’ll be covered with them by the end of the summer. You won’t be able to walk outside.”
Jordan says he called Public Works to inquire when spraying would begin only to be told it wouldn’t due to financial reasons.
“I want to know where my taxes are going,” he said. “They are going to borrow $2 million for the streets because they don’t have the money to do it. Now, we can’t afford spraying for mosquitos. We may as well stop paying our taxes.”
Brock says he will inform city officials of the equipment failure and have staff continue to work on getting the old equipment operational.