The weather so far this spring has been nearly perfect. But as Minnesotans, we always expect a catch &045; a downside to that perfection.

This expectation comes from the hatching of mosquitoes.

The city of Albert Lea, for the past two summers, has sprayed for mosquitoes, in hopes of diminishing the population and making back yard barbeques more comfortable.

But with state budget cuts expected to pinch local-government funding, last winter the city did not allocate funds for spraying in this year’s budget.

&uot;We don’t have any money budgeted for spraying,&uot; said City Manager Paul Sparks, addressing the city council at a pre-agenda meeting Thursday. &uot;However, we are starting to get some calls about mosquitoes already.&uot;

Sparks said the city already took the precaution of applying for a spraying permit, so, if necessary, it can be done without hassle.

Sparks guesses that six different sprayings will be necessary if the city were to start as soon as possible.

At 30 cents per capita each spray, the cost for each spray is just under $6,000 and the total cost would be $36,000 for six sprays.

Each spray lasts in the air for 24 hours, and cannot last longer due to Environmental Protection Agency rules.

Sparks said the sprays can also be negated if there is heavy rain, which produces places for the next batch of bugs to hatch.

Some councilors said that while they saw the mosquitoes as problems, they didn’t notice much of a benefit from the sprays last year.

Mayor Jean Eaton said comfort isn’t the only concern.

&uot;It’s a safety issue with the West Nile virus,&uot; she said.

The Centers for Disease Control Web page on the virus says the chance of a person becoming ill from a mosquito bite is very slim, though they do say that more bites increase those small chances.

Councilman Jeff Fjelstad said he would like to see the council budget not only for the spraying, but also larvae-hatch killings and hatching-area dryings.

Councilman Randy Erdman said people need to take their own precautions.

&uot;People need to realize they need to empty their bird baths, mow their lawn and get rid of old tires,&uot; he said.

Sparks said that while the spray works, the best thing to hope for is a dry July and August.

The council will consider their options at Monday night’s meeting.