The Board Has Voted for a Local Option Levy and This Is What That Looks Like.

Formed in 1968, the Jackson County Vector Control District is a public health agency responsible for protecting county residents (pop. 222,000) from diseases caused by mosquitoes, ticks, rodents and flies. The District receives no funding from Jackson County. It is funded by a modest property tax levy of $0.04 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The District operates under a balanced budget and has passed all its independent financial audits. More information can be found at www.jcvcd.gov.

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Public health is our top priority.

Mosquitoes are a public health hazard for humans (and wild birds) linked to West Nile virus, Zika virus, dengue, and chikungunya. Deer ticks also can carry Lyme disease and have long-term negative effects on a person’s health. Rodents can carry the hantavirus, which is often fatal. The District works to control and abate these populations and conducts research, testing and public education to protect the health of Jackson County residents.

Invasive Aedes aegypti

New, invasive species are arriving and increasing workloads.

An invasive mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, was discovered in Talent and Ashland in 2024 and 2025, respectively. These were the first records of the species in Oregon.

Aedes aegypti thrives in urban areas where it prefers to bite humans and, worldwide, is a key vector of diseases such as Dengue and Zika.

This discovery greatly increased JCVCD's workload:

Annual public service requests in Talent increased from a few dozen in 2023 to 2,268 in 2024.
In addition to routine surveillance, JCVCD placed over 1,000 traps in 2024-2025 for this species.
Seasonal staff had to be kept up to six weeks longer to meet demand.
Visits to our website tripled during this time.

We have a plan to protect public health and our quality of life.

The District requires funding to respond to increased demands for service and the rising costs to provide it. It is proposing a levy of $0.05 per $1,000 of assessed property value levy ($1.25 per month/$15 per year for the average property owner). Funding would provide:

One additional full-time Lab/Surveillance Technician to assist with public service interactions
Increased monitoring and prevention of mosquito and tick-borne diseases
More services for backyard mosquito reduction programs and elimination of mosquito breeding sites
Ongoing rodent and fly control
Revenue to cover higher vehicle maintenance cost and equipment purchases
Expanding public outreach and education