Official: Mosquito funds OK

The city's mosquito control program has not been eliminated.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR HEALTH WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown City Health District's mosquito control program has not been eliminated, as has been rumored, said Neil H. Altman, health commissioner.
"Someone has said that I cut the mosquito control program so that I can have a secretary," Altman said. "The fact is that the mosquito control program is fully funded and can proceed as usual."
Brian R. Corbin, health board president, said at Monday's meeting that the mosquito control program is financially out of control.
He is unhappy with the way the mosquito control employee is paid. That city employee works 40 hours a week for the street department, and then is paid at a rate of time and one-half, or $26.90 per hour, from the first hour he begins mosquito control work for the health department.
Corbin said that nothing probably could be done this year. But he strongly recommended that the board negotiate with the city to use some of the street department hours for mosquito control so it can be done at the regular hourly rate of pay.
Could seek bids
If that doesn't happen, Corbin said the board should seek bids from outside contractors to compare costs with the current system.
"Overtime for mosquito control bothers me. It smells suspicious. We need to find another way," Corbin said.
The mosquito control program operates during April, May and June, for which $22,150 was budgeted for wages and supplies for 2004, a cut of $6,000 from 2003, the board's financial officer said.
In other action, the Youngstown Health District board approved a contract with the Mahoning County Health District that enables the county board to transfer $10,000 in grants to the city health department. The funds are earmarked to hire a special prosecutor in the city law department who will prosecute property owners who fail to abate lead poisoning problems, Altman said.