The Jackson County Vector Control District is asking voters to approve a five-year property tax levy to expand mosquito and tick programs as demand for services and operating costs increase.
The proposal on the Nov. 3 ballot would add 5 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. For a property assessed at $300,000, that would mean an additional $15 a year.
The proposed levy would be in addition to the district’s existing property tax of about 4 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
The levy revenue would fund an additional full-time lab and surveillance technician, expand public outreach and increase programs to reduce mosquito breeding sites in residents’ yards.
Andrew Partin, a vector ecologist with the district, said warmer temperatures are contributing to the workload.
“Our temperatures are getting a little bit warmer each year, and so that tends to increase our mosquito population,” he said.
The invasive mosquito species Aedes aegypti was first detected in Talent in 2024 and in Ashland in 2025. It can transmit diseases including yellow fever and Zika, though the district says the current disease risk remains low.
The district says the discovery increased demand for services, requiring additional trapping, outreach and longer employment for seasonal staff.
Partin said population growth may also contribute to rising demand, while supplies and equipment have become more expensive.
“Maintaining equipment, buying new equipment — everything is more expensive,” Partin said.
The district monitors, tests for and works to prevent mosquito- and tick-borne diseases. It also provides fly and rodent control.
Partin said costs have increased for the district’s annual free tire recycling drive. Discarded tires can collect standing water, creating mosquito breeding grounds.
The district currently has two full-time field technicians serving more than 220,000 residents, according to its levy announcement.
