The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A survey of gypsy moth eggs will be conducted in the township by the state Department of Agriculture sometime between now and January.
Whether any spraying will be conducted if eggs are found is another matter.
The issue of who would pay for what could be expensive spraying caused some consternation at the August Township Council meeting, with some members balking at the open-ended nature of a letter from the agriculture department describing the program.
The only mention of cost was an oblique reference to federal funds being sought by the state.
But language in the letter led some council members to speculate whether the state would go ahead with the spraying regardless of whether the township wanted it.
“I’m just not hearing that we have a choice,” Councilman James Vassanella said.
Councilman Philip Kramer wondered whether the council should say, “there are too many unknowns to it, and we don’t want to take a chance” on having to pay an expensive bill.
Township manager Robert Vornlocker said on Aug. 27 that the state “is not going to obligate us to participate” in the spraying, should any moth eggs be found.
“If we have a problem, then we’re going to have to find out how much it costs,” he said.
Nothing would be done until next year, Vornlocker said.
“This is the end of the season, so they’re looking for where they might be in the spring of 2014,” he said.
