DATE: June 18, 2024
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: Adoption of Resolution Reducing the Members on the Fresno Westside Mosquito Abatement District
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and adopt resolution decreasing the total number of members of the Fresno Westside Mosquito Abatement District Board of Trustees from seven to five members, by decreasing the currently required five Fresno County at-large members to three Fresno County at-large members.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The Fresno Westside Mosquito Abatement District (District) was formed in 1959 to provide mosquito surveillance and control services. Following continued vacancies on the District’s Board of Trustees, the District is requesting a decrease in the number of Trustees from seven to five members. Currently, the District Board of Trustees consists of one member representing the City of Firebaugh, one representing the City of Mendota, and five representing Fresno County at-large. The recommended resolution would change the makeup of the District Trustee Board to: one member representing the City of Firebaugh, one representing the City of Mendota, and three representing Fresno County at-large. There are currently two vacant Fresno County at-large positions on the District Trustee Board. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Following receipt of a resolution from the District, your Board must order the decrease in the number of Fresno County at-large trustees and designate the trustees whose office shall be eliminated.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Additionally, the District provides mosquito surveillance and control services, which are paid through property taxes. There are no costs associated with inspection/service requests with the agency.
DISCUSSION:
The District was formed in 1959 to provide mosquito surveillance and control services and covers the western portion of Fresno County including the cities of Firebaugh and Mendota, and the communities of Tranquility, Three Rocks, Five Points, and Oro Loma.
On April 26, 2024, the Clerk of the Board’s office received an email from the District regarding the need to reduce the number of trustees on the board. On March 14, 2024, the District’s board of trustees met and approved Resolution No. 301, which requests the reduction of the number of Trustees from seven to five members.
The District’s Board of Trustees meets the second Thursday of every month at the District office in Firebaugh. The Board consists of seven members, one representing the City of Firebaugh, one representing the City of Mendota, and five representing Fresno County at-large. The Board has traditionally sought at-large representation from the various unincorporated communities throughout the District’s jurisdiction; however, changes in population in those communities and improvements in District outreach and technology have made the direct representation of those communities on the Board impractical. The District has been operating with at least one vacancy and has had repeated difficulties finding interested and qualified candidates willing to serve on the Board making achieving quorums for meetings more onerous and resulting in frequent rescheduled meetings.
Health and Safety Code section 2025(b) states a board of trustees may adopt a resolution requesting the Board of Supervisors of any county that contains territory within the district to increase or decrease the number of members of the board of trustees who represent the unincorporated territory of that county within the district. The resolution shall specify the number of members and the areas of the unincorporated territory for which the board of trustees requests the increase or decrease. Section 2025(c) states within 60 days of receiving a resolution adopted pursuant to subdivision (b), the Board of Supervisors shall order the increase or decrease in the number of members of the board of trustees, consistent with the board of trustees' resolution. Section 2025(d) states if the Board of Supervisors orders a decrease in the number of members of the board of trustees, the Board of Supervisors shall designate the trustee or trustees whose office shall be eliminated at the termination of the trustee's current term of office. Any trustee whose office is designated to be eliminated shall continue to serve until his or her term of office expires.
Approval of the recommended action will decrease the number of members of the Fresno Westside Mosquito Abatement District Board of Trustees from seven to five members by reducing the number of Fresno County at-large members from five members to three members. It should be noted that the District’s resolution states that the District shall review the issue of board size in 24 months from the District’s approval of the resolution.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Resolution
On file with Clerk - March 14, 2024 District Meeting Minutes
On file with Clerk - District Resolution No. 301
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander