April 18, 2022

City of Mansfield Council Members,

My name is Larry McFarland and I am one of the fourteen citizens who were in opposition to the aggressive ground spraying and the lack of any substantive preventative measures for the control of mosquitoes in 2020.  Eight of us were in attendance and six submitted online speaker cards.  There were four that supported ground spraying.  They all submitted online speaker cards.

During the City Council Work Session of 9-14-2020 the Council heard over an hour testimony from City staff, Tarrant County Public Health and the mosquito spray contractor who is contracted by the City that supported ground spraying.  There was also some discussion on the subject during the 8-24-2020 Council Meeting.  The Council was not able to hear any rebuttal or response from the citizens in opposition to what was presented to the Council.  The only testimony ever heard by the Council was through citizen comments.

We firmly believe that had we been given the opportunity to respond and present our side of the argument the outcome would have been much different.

We will be sending emails to the Council that cover the statements made to the Council that we were in disagreement with and present what our responses would have been.  Each email will discuss a separate topic or statement.  We hope that what we are going to present will be as eye-opening for you as it was for us.

  • Does Mansfield follow EPA and mainstream vector control guidelines for mosquito control?
  • Why larviciding is recommended over ground spraying.
  • Public Health:  The threat vs the response.
  • How far does the pesticide spray travel and what is an effective buffer?
  • Permethrin, the main ingredient in pesticide spray: “There is not a residue created” “any notion of needing to cover fish ponds or furniture or your pets is old news”
  • Mansfield vs. Fort Worth mosquito control comparisons.
  • Statement: “even from the very first event those residents were told that we would not spray in front of their homes” “this has been going on for a few years.”

Thank you,

Larry McFarland