County fined over insecticide use

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has issued a consent order against the county for improperly using an insecticide in connection with a flying ant infestation at the Department of Motor Vehicles last summer.

A county maintenance employee sprayed an aerosol can that should not have been in used under DEC regulations, said county Legislature Chairman George Fearon. The situation caused a shutdown of the DMV for few days in July, and one employee had to be treated for minor sickness.

The state originally fined the county $7,500, but lowered that to $2,500, said county legislator Steve Cuddeback, who chairs the Legislature's Public Works Committee. In addition to the penalty, the county had to spend a little more than $4,800 for remediation to the DMV office.