Your property taxes include an assessment to fund pest and vector control services in the form of an abatement district, which is meant to fund the prevention, mitigation, and control of some type of pest or hazard. Mosquito abatement districts are public agencies that serve communities through controlling and preventing mosquitoes. To finance mosquito control and surveillance efforts, mosquito abatement districts charge an annual service fee to all non-exempt land parcels in a service area, billed on the property tax bill.
RSG performs property tax calculations for counties and abatement districts. We provide them with projections that inform budgets and determine the level of service they can provide.
Mosquito abatement districts were created in response to public health concerns about the mosquito as a carrier of disease. Today, mosquito-borne illnesses include malaria, dengue fever, West Nile Virus, chikungunya, multiple forms of encephalitis, and Zika fever, among others.
In addition to the protection from mosquito abatement districts, people can help to control mosquito populations. Residents can reduce their risk of mosquito-borne disease by eliminating breeding sources around their homes and taking other precautions. Residents can reduce breeding by eliminating standing water around their yard. Property owners should maintain ponds and pools with adequate filtration and chemical additives.
Written by Evanne Holloway, an Analyst at RSG