Vote yes for mosquito-control levy

Flathead County has a mosquito district - now it needs money to run the district.

One of the ballot issues facing voters in Tuesday's primary voting is a request for a tax levy to fund the fledgling countywide mosquito district.

The ballot question asks voters to OK an extra property-tax levy of up to two mills to allow for mosquito work. At the maximum two mills, that would mean $330,000 would be available for the battle against mosquitoes.

But public officials say it isn't likely that the full two mills would be levied except in a worst-case scenario such as an outbreak of West Nile virus.

The money from the voted levy would be the only funding available for mosquito control (barring a move by the county commissioners to move money from somewhere else in the tight county budget).

That's why this levy request makes sense: If we in this county are going to make efforts toward mosquito control, those efforts need money.

While West Nile virus is certainly a factor to consider, we should remember that the disease, even if it manifests itself here, will not be a calamity on par with the biblical plagues of old Egypt. Limiting the spread of West Nile is a health concern but not an overwhelming mandate.

The current levy request provides the flexibility to fund widespread control efforts if they become necessary - or the levy can pay for more limited measures in the event mosquitoes are not pressing problems.

So far this year, mosquitoes are not a huge concern. But we only have to look back four years ago when an onslaught of the blood-sucking insects produced hundreds of complaints and prompted county officials to begin studying a countywide mosquito district.

All we need is one more summer like that - or a serious outbreak of West Nile - to validate the money spent on mosquitoes.

And for individual taxpayers, it's not that much money. For each $100,000 in taxable valuation, the mosquito levy would cost about six bucks. That's the price of a couple of mocha lattes or a couple of bottles of insect repellent. And if the mosquitoes are swarming, those bottles of repellent won't last you through the summer.

We will never win the war with mosquitoes (they have an overwhelming superiority of numbers on their side) but with thoughtful, thorough mosquito control, we can at least hope to win some battles.