MC mosquito fee will take a bigger bite

It turns out mosquitoes can cause irritation in December, too.
The Morgan City Council on Tuesday voted to raise the fee it charges residents and businesses for mosquito spraying. The unanimous vote came despite objections by a man who once ran city and parish mosquito control programs.
The new mosquito control ordinance raises the monthly fee from a maximum of $2 to a maximum of $4. The discussion at the November meeting, when the ordinance was introduced, centered on an increase of $1.50 to $3.50 per month.
Mayor Lee Dragna said last month that the fee was being raised to cover increasing costs. He said the cost of the needed chemicals is five times what it was when he took office.
The need for the increase was challenged by Jean Paul Bourg, a Morgan City resident who worked with the city and parish mosquito control programs.
“My thing is don’t push an increase … based on information that was incorrect,” Bourg said.
He believes the chemical costs cited by the mayor are overstated, and that concentrated chemicals that can be mixed here are cheaper than buying them already mixed.
Dragna responded with a 2025 price quote from Texas company Veseris. It quoted a price of $8,787.11 for a 30-gallon drum of concentrated mosquito spray. An invoice from November 2024 showed a charge of $4,135.20 for the same quantity of the same brand.
Bourg also questioned the need to buy new vehicles for mosquito spraying. Used vehicles would serve as well, he said.
Dragna responded: “I believe in having equipment that runs and works and we don’t have to work on it.”
“If you want to pass a tax and increase fees and collect every penny you can, I just disagree with that,” Bourg said.
At one point, Bourg implied that the council members aren’t making independent decisions.
“You all think alike,” he said.
Council members Bonnie Leonard and Ron Bias both expressed appreciation for Bourg’s views but objected to his remarks about their decision-making Bourg apologized.
Leonard and Bias were joined by Councilmen Thomas Hutchinson, Steve Domangue and Tim Hymel in voting for the increase in mosquito program fees.