How to Withdraw or Become a Member of a Mosquito Control District

The procedure for a town to join or withdraw from a mosquito control district

The procedure for a town to join or withdraw from a mosquito control district is:

1. The municipality usually creates a petition via the local residents or the municipal administration or town counsel to join or withdraw from membership within a mosquito control district/project. The petition is placed on the town's warrant or voted via other legally established municipal mechanism.
   Note: Each mosquito control project or district has its own act of enabling legislation and you need to refer to it.  In some case, the legislation outlines a period of time that the municipality must join which is intended to establish fiscal continuity and stability for the regional mosquito control efforts. Generally speaking, improvements for the purpose of controlling mosquitoes take more than one or two mosquito seasons. Massachusetts’s mosquito control is an integrated program (initially focusing on monitoring, breeding surveys, mapping, etc. and does not depend or rely solely on adult chemical control. Contact the mosquito control Commission or superintendent/director of the district for further information.
2. The petition to join or withdraw must be submitted at an annual town meeting, or other legally established municipal mechanism.
3. Once a vote has been taken to join or withdraw, the town must notify the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board (SRMCB) as well as the mosquito control district/project in writing.
   Note: Municipalities must submit to the SRMCB notarized certificate of the affirmative vote as soon after the official vote of the municipality.
4. The SRMCB needs to officially approve this action for membership and vote the acceptance of the municipality to the mosquito control district/project.
5. If the town has voted to join, the town should notify your Senator and/or Representative that the town has voted to come into the program and the Department of Revenue Division of Local Services. The Department of Revenue Division of Local Services has a formula to generate the cost of funding which will be assessed to the municipality through the local aid assessments (cherry sheets).
6. If the town has voted to withdraw, they would notify the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board (SRMCB) as well as the mosquito control district/project in writing. The Board would notify the Department of Revenue Division of Local Services so that the municipality will not continue to be assessed.