Georgetown considers expanding spraying

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) - Two new cases of West Nile Virus in Hays County were confirmed Monday. That brings the total there to six.

In Williamson County, six cases of the virus have been reported this year, including one death. Officials in Georgetown are now considering expanding their spraying to battle the virus-carrying mosquitoes.

Georgetown City Council will discuss the issue Tuesday night at their meeting. They'll vote whether to expand their mosquito spraying citywide. Right now, crews spray city parks Fridays between midnight at 5 a.m.

Georgetown's city manager decided to bring the item before Council members after hearing more concern from the community.

If council approves a citywide spraying schedule, crews would spray four days a week, between midnight and 5:00 a.m.

City officials say Council members can decide among the following:

• Keep spraying the same--in parks only
• Include residential areas--go city-wide
• Implement a plan for the entire next year

People can opt out if they do not want their property treated for health concerns or due to a sensitivity to chemicals.

"We keep a list, and we keep it in with the applicators, and if someone says please don't spray next to my house, we try to keep like a 500-foot distance. So, we try to go a block around," said Georgetown Transportation Services manager Mark Miller. "That way, we're not eliminating everyone in an area, but we try to respect the rights and wishes of the people that do not like the chemicals sprayed near their homes."

Spraying will continue through November. Officials expect city-wide spraying would cost $18,500.

The city manager said the funding is available. About half would come from council's contingency account, and the remainder would come from savings in the city's operations budget.

Update at 7:45 p.m.: The council did not pass the agenda item. Instead, they voted to set-up a trigger system to determine whether or not the City should expand the spraying or not in the future. If certain triggers are met this year or next year, then they will consider expanding the spraying.