<\/p>\n
Citing dissatisfaction with services, the Montezuma County Commission voted 3-0 Monday to evict the Montezuma Mosquito Control District from its offices at the county yard on Colorado Highway 145.<\/p>\n
Mosquito district officials were surprised by the action and rebutted the county\u2019s claims. They said the forced move could impact services because of the cost of renting another facility.<\/p>\n
Commission chairman Larry Don Suckla was critical of the special district\u2019s lack of board elections and said the contract for services should be put out to a competitive bid.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have not had an election in six years, and in 14 years they have not put up the mosquito (services) contract up for bid,\u201d Suckla said. \u201cIn my opinion, they could have gotten a better deal and saved taxpayers a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suckla referred to a January letter from the Department of Local Affairs to the mosquito district that states \u201cthe district failed to hold or properly cancel\u201d the May 8 election in 2012 and 2014.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the letter, most of the board members should not have been on the board because they were out of compliance with state law,\u201d Suckla said.<\/p>\n
The mosquito district is funded by a .406 mill levy, which generated $198,492 in tax revenues for 2015. For more than a decade, the annual funds have been budgeted to contract with Colorado Mosquito Control for services in the county.<\/p>\n
Jason Carruth, CMC\u2019s general manager for the Montezuma district, said that servicing the large area with a limited staff and equipment already stretches the budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinding a new office to rent will only hurt the district,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s disconcerting to find a new shop when we are in the middle of running operations to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Board officials admitted that \u201cthe ball was dropped\u201d regarding recent election procedures, but said that the issue is being resolved.<\/p>\n
Board president Eldon Simmons said it\u2019s a big challenge to find people who want to serve on the five-member board.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had no candidates, so we\u2019ve had to beg people and appoint them onto the board,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cWe\u2019re getting two new board members.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the district has been in communication with the Colorado Special District Association to resolve the election matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I know we are legal,\u201d Simmons said.<\/p>\n
Regarding the contract, Simmons said the district is an experienced company and has done a good job providing mosquito control, \u201calthough you can\u2019t please everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the board is not required to put the service contract out to bid. The new contract is for one year with an option for renewal.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir parent company is worldwide with a lot of expertise and resources for training,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cWe felt we needed to stick with them for now because of the Zika virus scare, and Jason has already been receiving company training on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a handshake deal back in the 1970s, the county provided the district space for their offices at the county shop. The district poured the concrete and built their offices at district expense. Simmons said the county should be required to buy the office buildings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will move on and handle it,\u201d he said of the flap. \u201cWe just want to continue to control mosquitoes and go on with our business.\u201d<\/p>\n