New Urban Rat Control Program Development in the Post Recessionary Environment (50m Lecture)

image:www.pestcontrolcolchester.co.uk

Currently a resurgence of rat infestations in the urban areas of American cities the likes of which haven’t been seen in decades has developed. Public Health experts say the problem can be traced to a decision two decades ago to eliminate federal funding for urban rodent control, and more recently to ever-tightening city government budgets. "The resurgence of the problem in recent years is connected to cities having to make hard choices about what their priorities are," said Jerry Hershovitz of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, in Atlanta. 

The City of Columbus Ohio was no different. Today, the 15th largest American city, with a population just under 800,000, maintained a large rat control program during the 1970’s and early 1980’s which was curtailed in 1982 when the source of federal funding expired. In 2005, complaints were lodged from various sections of the city and Columbus Public Health (CPH) developed a comprehensive rodent control program which operated between 2006 and 2008. Unfortunately, the program became a victim of the Great Recession and was dissolved in June 2008 as vacant positions were not filled given the looming city budget situation.
 
Five years later numerous sightings of rats in various parts of the city have revived calls for a re-establishment of the CPH Rat Control program. As the CPH proposed 2014 budget had already been submitted before the issue emerged, there was no allocation for any program. Local media picked up the banner and a local neighborhood groups began advocating the Columbus City Council provide resources for CPH to conduct surveys and if warranted provides funding for a new program. The Columbus Dispatch printed an editorial advocating the return of the program.
 
The Environmental Health Division of CPH designed four levels of a new program to address the situation and asked the National Office for Environmental Health of the CDC and personnel of New York City’s Rat Control program to critique the four proposals. After much guidance on best practices, two options were submitted to city government and an approval to begin an initial program was authorized.