Editorial: Mosquito board scrutiny necessary

Editorial: Mosquito board scrutiny necessary



Publication Date: 05/11/08

It was disappointing to see the St. Johns County Commission reject a straw ballot on whether mosquito control belongs under county government. On Thursday, the commission's 3-2 split rejected a non-binding vote in the Aug. 26 primary election.

About 10 days ago, the County Commission also rejected a proposed straw ballot on the fate of the St. Augustine Airport Authority. The Airport Authority is on track to get off the tax rolls by 2010 but Commission Chairman Tom Manuel has questioned its continued operation as an independent agency. The Airport Authority's fate has been tested before on a straw ballot. Voters have said it should remain independent.

But the Mosquito Control District has made no commitment to stop collecting taxes and has amassed $4.7 million in reserves, some set aside for future projects. As far as we can tell, there has not been a straw ballot before on its fate.

Manuel also proposed the mosquito district straw ballot because he's concerned that duplication costs more, especially in office operations such as personnel and purchasing. He, too, questioned the district's budget last year of $3.3 million when the budget of Miami-Dade County was only $3.23 million for mosquito control.

Commissioner Jim Bryant proposed that the commission reject the mosquito straw ballot. He said the commission should not try to take over another elected board unless there is a large outcry from the citizens. He said he has not heard that outcry.

As an FYI, a letter Thursday to Manuel from Charles H. Bronson, state commissioner of agriculture, said 43 mosquito control operations in Florida are administered by county governments. The remaining 15, including Anastasia Mosquito Control, are independent taxing authorities.

A straw ballot is not binding but how else will county government take the citizens' pulse? Those who appear before the County Commission express emotions more than opinions. There is no way to compare the views of 50 or 100 people in the County Auditorium, many of whom work for the specific independent authority, to the views of 90,000-plus eligible voters countywide.

Anastasia Mosquito Control is 60 years old. Some decisions the past two years have been questionable such as the possible purchase of a $1.8 million helicopter, later cancelled. Another controversy was the $1.25 million worth of land purchased without an appraisal. Jeanne Moeller, mosquito board chairwoman, said Friday this turned out to be a good deal, because the land is worth a lot more now and the district donated seven of those 25 acres to the county for a new Emergency Operations Center near the Agricultural Center. However, we do not think land should be purchased by public boards without an appraisal.

New general manager Patricia Greer said meetings have been civil of late. But, this board cannot forget the rudeness of some current members and some of their predecessors when the public has questioned the spending of tax dollars.

A year ago, the mosquito board voted 3-2 to explore merging with the county. To our knowledge, those meetings have not taken place. Why not? They should, just so the public can better understand mosquito control's operation and the possible ways to reduce the tax dollars used for it.

A periodic public examination of an independent taxing authority via a straw ballot is long overdue for Anastasia Mosquito Control District. Now is the time to go forward. The November ballot, by the way, still has some openings on it.


Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/051108/opinions_051108_083.shtml

© The St. Augustine Record