What is the District doing to get rid of the rat problem?
The Mayor is concerned about rodent control throughout the city. In April 1999, the Mayor held the first ever Summit on Rats to educate and obtain feedback from citizens and other stakeholders on the issues surrounding this problem. In June, the city hired a consultant, Dr. Bruce Colvin, to provide a report of recommendations to begin addressing this problem. Dr. Colvin provided that report on September 30, 1999. He also recommended that the District establish a Bureau of Community Hygiene in the Department of Health because rodents are carriers of disease. This unit will centrally manage the program and use other District agencies to assist in the delivery of services. This is a long-term program that requires 2-3 years to develop and up to 5 years before a sustainable change can be seen overall. This is contingent on all resources to implement the program being in place. In February 2000, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Health and the Department of Public Work
