Back by popular demand as long as youre talking with the right person is regular mosquito spraying in Iola.
City Council members voted, 4-2, Monday to reinstitute the twice-weekly mosquito spraying.
The practice had been abandoned this year, both as a cost-cutting move, and because of an ongoing debate about the sprays effectiveness.
A wetter-than-normal spring, however, has brought the mosquitoes back in droves, Councilwoman Nancy Ford said.
And it hasnt gotten really, really hot, she added, when bug populations tend to increase.
Purchasing enough chemical for twice-weekly spraying is expected to cost in excess of $12,000, City Administrator Sid Fleming said.
Iolas fogging machine, which operates in the back of a slow-moving pickup, has recently been calibrated and is ready to go, Fleming said.
Councilman Gene Myrick, one of the members who pushed to stop the spraying at the start of the year, said hes received more feedback on mosquitoes than any other topic as an elected official.
Im on the fence about this, Myrick said, before changing course later in the discussion to make the motion to resume spraying.
He was joined by Ford, Mark Peters and Kim Peterson. Opposed were Ron Ballard and Danny Mathew. Members Aaron Franklin and Chase Martin were absent.
Mathew and Mayor Jon Wells, both questioned the effectiveness of the spraying.
Wells noted the more effective practices lie in preventing mosquitoes from being born in the first place, by either eliminating places of stagnant water, or treating those areas with larvicide.
Iolan Betty Miller also praised the city for no longer spraying, recounting the times when she would scurry inside when she heard the distinctive sound of the fogging machine in operation as it was toted through town.
The mosquito spray, which Peters noted is recommended by such groups as the Centers for Disease Control, is most effective late in the day, when winds are calm, because the fog must come in direct contact with the pests to work.
The spray contains an enzyme that is harmless to humans and animals, but fatal to mosquitoes.
