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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's capital is home to one of the oldest mosquito abatement districts in the nation, but its work has increased over the past century.
Less and less water from the region's mountain snowpack makes its way to the Great Salt Lake as compared to when the district was founded in 1923 — and it creates the ideal environment for mosquito growth.
"That water is impounded. It never quite makes it to the Great Salt Lake. As a result of that, all those wetland habitats (around the lake) are producing a tremendous abundance of mosquitos — numbers that I, myself, hadn't seen until I moved out here in 2014," says Ary Faraji, director of the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District.
The district deals with mosquitos within a greater boundary of about 240 square miles. Not all mosquito species in the city's ecosystem are bad, but higher populations increase the risk that residents can contract diseases like West Nile virus and Zika virus that mosquitoes can carry.
However, as an independent tax special district, it mostly relies on property taxes to carry out operations that reduce the risk of residents contracting these diseases. With rising costs, Faraji and other district representatives say they need to increase the city's property taxes.
The Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District is seeking to raise the city property tax rate from 0.000147% to 0.000176%, representing about a 20% jump, beginning with 2025 property tax bills.
Should it be approved, homeowners with an average land value of $623,900 would pay $60.39 per year, about a $10 increase in the annual tax. Commercial properties with an average land value of $1 million would pay $176, a $29 increase.
It would raise about $1.37 million in additional revenue for the district, which officials said would help it keep up with inflation over the past few years.
District officials presented their case to Salt Lake leaders during an informational hearing on Tuesday before a Salt Lake City Council public hearing on the matter later in the day. The final decision, however, will be delivered by the district's board of trustees in December.
Faraji explained that the district experienced an 8% increase in new taxable revenue growth over the past three years, but it has failed to catch up to the region's consumer price index jump of 17% over the same period. The largest jump occurred in 2022, as post-COVID-19 pandemic inflation reached its highest point.
The new funds, he said, will be used to continue the team's work screening mosquito pools for disease prevention efforts, as well as carry out research to improve their process. The district would also expand its lab and purchase a new helicopter to replace some antiquated plane operations.
Salt Lake City's district is also responsible for addressing all sorts of insects, either to improve habitats or remove potential nuisances.
City Council members appeared generally supportive of the measure, although they acknowledged that the timing might be inopportune for many residents. While $10 per year may seem small, Councilman Alejandro Puy said he's aware it could cause pushback because it would be added onto other increases that have already been approved or are being considered on Election Day.
- The Salt Lake City School District has a proposed $730 million bond on the ballot next month, which would go toward rebuilding or improving the city's high schools. It's expected to add $38.33 per year for every $100,000 in land value if passed.
- Salt Lake County is proposing a $507 million public safety bond for jail improvements, potentially adding about $58.92 per year to the average county homeowner.
- Salt Lake City's 0.5% sales tax increase tied to its revitalization district agreement with Smith Entertainment Group is scheduled to go into effect next year.
"They add up," he said. "I'm not undermining the need for this whatsoever. I appreciate that you guys are looking forward to innovation and finding ways to do this better."
Some residents were surprised about all the operations they didn't know were happening in the first place. During Tuesday's public hearing, Matt Larson said he was unaware planes were spraying mosquitos, adding that there was a lot of buzz about that on the Nextdoor app, too.
Residents on the app voiced concerns about the rising taxes and environmental concerns about spraying, though some also wrote that they believe the operations are necessary to combat diseases.
The district's board of trustees will vote on whether to adopt the tax increase during its Dec. 19 meeting.
