ALL bites could be off for Casey’s coastal village residents with funding for a mosquito management plan a step closer.
Councillors voted at last Tuesday’s council meeting for $100,000 to be considered at the 2007-08 budget to implement a pest control program to tackle mosquitoes and biting midges.
Casey mayor Colin Butler said the actual cost of conducting a pest control program each year was heavily dependent on the weather conditions.
He said a dry year resulted in an increase in sand flies while a wet year would create more mosquitoes.
“I have been on about this for a while. It would be very much appreciated by me and my constituents if this plan is implemented,” Cr Butler said.
He said council should be taking some sort of action to control the problem.
Councillor Lorraine Wreford asked if there were any potential consequences to the health of residents from the spraying.
Cr Butler responded by outlining the City of Geelong’s pest control program and how Casey would be using that as a guide.
He said the two cities had similar problems and Casey would be saving money by learning from Geelong’s program.
Councillors also heard there would be an extensive community consultation process before anything was implemented.
– Callan Date
