The city of Blytheville amended its agreement with Vector Disease Control Thursday, moving the automatic renewal date from May 1 to June 1.
The additional 30 days will allow for a public hearing to get feedback on the mosquito control service, which costs $3 a month per water meter. The public hearing is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Municipal Courtroom.
At issue is whether residents want the service, and the employment status of Tim Nelson, the supervisor of the local Vector branch since the initial agreement in 2006.
VDCI president Allen Loe said Nelson is considered an employee of Vector and the two sides are working out their differences.
"Tim Nelson has always been one of my best employees," Loe said. "He is one of the greatest guys I've ever known. He has done a perfect job for us in everything we've asked him to do. Tim has a lot of ambition. He has a lot of care and concern about his family. He cares a lot about us, he cares a lot about what happens to this business."
Loe agreed to sign an employee agreement with Nelson if he elects to stay with the company.
After a recent rift with the company however, Nelson began the process of forming his own company.
City attorney Mike Bearden said Farmers Bank has seen a business plan and approved financing, pending Nelson getting the contract with the city.
Bearden told the Blytheville City Council Nelson could have an LLC "today" if the Council elected to end the contract with Vector and choose Nelson's potential company, something under consideration during Thursday's special Council meeting at the mayor's office.
"Tim and (Tim's wife) Sabrina have taken excellent care of everybody," Loe said. "The way they have held the company up has been great; it has been an example for other places to look at. It's unfortunate that all of this has come about. The misunderstandings and the misrepresentations and the coincidence of things happening, one on top of the other. That's an unfortunate set of events. I have no hard feelings toward Tim or Sabrina. He's been a perfect employee for us."
Nelson and Loe shook hands and indicated they were in the process of resolving their issues when Loe left to fly back to DeWitt on Thursday afternoon.
Shortly before that, Loe and Blytheville Mayor Barrett Harrison signed a three-page agreement delaying the automatic renewal date by 30 days.
If the contract is not terminated by May 31, it will automatically renew.
Loe said, in the meantime, Vector will continue preparing to battle the mosquitoes.
Council members will also have an opportunity during that time to hear from residents.
Harrison said mosquito control has been controversial. Critics say it does no good and the service is a waste of money.
"These guys are getting beat up pretty hard about the mosquitoes -- and we always do," Harrison said. "And they understand no matter what you guys are paid or what you do, there's going to be a mosquito. The public doesn't necessarily understand that. They feel like if they get bit by a mosquito in their chair at home and they're paying $3 a month (the service isn't working)."
The mayor noted the Council elected to spread the charge over 12 months, instead of a larger one-time fee each year. While it is designed to help families budget, some residents see the charge during the winter time and get upset because they aren't getting the service then, Harrison said.
"With all of the controversy that surrounds the mosquito spray to begin with and not knowing if we're going to get another Tim or not, that's frightening to me," Harrison said before Nelson and Loe appeared to resolved their issues.
Councilman Monte Hodges said in his eyes Vector has done nothing wrong and there is no need to terminate the contract.
Loe pointed out when the city signed the contract with Vector, it had faith in the company and did not know Nelson at the time.
Councilman R.L. Jones, who chairs the Airport and Utilities Committee, suggested the public hearing.
"I had different constituents ask, when this contract comes up that we have a public hearing to hear the outcry from the citizens," Jones said.
Harrison said the city pays Vector $195,000 a year for the service.
"We make a little profit," the mayor said. "We pay them $2.50 and we charge everybody $3. We get 50 cents (per meter) for handling it. But also it gave us room, if they raise their price, we don't have to raise it on our people."
Councilwoman Shirley Overman noted citizens get more than spraying for their $3 a month. She noted Vector larvicides ditches and tests mosquitoes for diseases like West Nile.
"The quality of life in the South is not as good without a mosquito control program as it is with a mosquito control program," Loe said. "The cost associated with it for an individual is small compared to the risk."
"Even if you've got a few mosquitoes, you're not completely inundated by mosquitoes and that's just from the pest control standpoint," he added. "The disease standpoint, there's a complete other approach. The risk now-a-days of St. Louis Encephalitis or La Crosse Encephalitis and especially of West Nile Encephalitis, all across the nation, there's cases every year. You can look in those areas of the country that have organized mosquito control programs, the prevalence of those diseases in those places that have organized programs is a lot less than in places that do not have organized programs."
Loe said while mosquitoes still "get bad" in the heat of summer, the season is shorter and there are fewer of the pesky biting bugs than there used to be.
"The longer a program is in place the less remembrance people have of how the problem was before the program was there," Loe said. "We're still going to see mosquitoes. Mother nature has a way of taking care of herself. There's always going to be mosquitoes. But if we can mitigate that, bring that level down to a point where it's tolerable and we shorten the season and we make if fewer when they're really out, then you've got a program that's a benefit to everybody."
In other business Thursday, the Council:
-- Voted 5-0 to purchase four police cars from Watson Ford in Jackson, Miss., waive competitive bidding and to get a short-term loan to pay for them. Harrison said the city will dedicate 100 percent of the police and fire sales tax to repay the loan in three or four months. The Council opted to order the cars from the Mississippi company instead of the State Bid after hearing the city will save $6,000 and get the cars immediately. Harrison said the State Bidding process does not require taking bids because the state has already done that. However, even though the Mississippi company's price was lower, the Council had to waive competitive bidding to purchase the cars. The Council also passed an emergency clause with a 5-0 vote to get the cars immediately. Harrison said the police department is "in a bind," needing the cars. He said going the State Bid route would have delayed getting the cars two months. "The general manger at (Carlock) Ford said he could not meet or beat either price," Overman said.
-- Voted 4-1 to waive the residency requirement for Delta Gateway Museum director Lesley Hester until she finishes her doctorate at Arkansas State University. Hodges cast the "no" vote, while Jones, Mylas Jeffers, Shirley Connealy and Overman voted "yes." Harrison said Hester should complete her doctorate in about a year. She is scheduled to start work in May.
mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com