Pest Board Seeks a Voice on Its Fate

The president of the Moorpark Mosquito Abatement District board has requested that board members be included in any future meetings between Moorpark and county officials to discuss the district’s fate.

In a letter to Mayor Patrick Hunter, President David Austin asked that a subcommittee of the district board take part in the meetings to make sure participants receive balanced and accurate information.

Moorpark’s City Council recently picked two council members--Hunter and Chris Evans--to discuss the district’s future with Supervisor Judy Mikels. The district, charged with controlling insect pests around Moorpark, has come under fire recently for amassing a $1.4-million reserve and charging more than the county’s bug-control program. Critics complain that the district has outlived its usefulness.

Austin’s request met with a mixed response from Moorpark officials Thursday. Hunter said he had intended all along to include board representatives in future discussions about the district.

“We’re not going to reach a resolution until all parties meet together,” he said.

But Evans, who proposed that the city take over the district’s functions and hire its two full-time employees, said he preferred that future meetings with the county not include mosquito district board members.

“I think it would be counterproductive,” he said.

The board, he said, seemed only interested in maintaining the status quo and would not add to the meetings.

In his letter, Austin also tried to correct what he described as misinformation included in recent statements about the district. The district, he said, costs Moorpark property owners an average of $9.01 each year, not the $14 figure other public officials have cited. The county’s pest-control program, in contrast, charges $1.12 per parcel.

He also said that one-third of the $1.4-million reserve was accrued interest and therefore did not come from taxpayers.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.