By DAVID HULSE

MONTICELLO - Even if they wanted to, insiders say Sullivan County will not get the kind of state funding support necessary to carry on an extensive battle with the West Nile Virus.

"The state money already went to New York City and it's pretty much gone," one official said last week after Sullivan County legislature's executive committee decided to begin surveying mosquitoes in some of the county's 4,200 storm drains.

But county officials have been cautious right along about overreacting to the new virus. "I don't know that we're at a point to consider spraying and larvaciding," Chairman Rusty Pomeroy (D-3) said.

Legislators who early on decided spraying would kill the county's organic vegetable market did not have a long reach to pan larvacide in drains, especially after Family Services Commissioner Judith Maier revealed that larvacide applications would cost $6 to $8 per drain; and that the process would have to be repeated all over during every warm-weather month. New money would have to be appropriated for next year as well, Maier said. "Spraying should be the last resort," she said.

Neither was she sanguine about Sullivan's low-cost distribution of DEET bug repellent.

Maier provided data showing other small rural counties taking little precaution against West Nile, while more populated areas around cities and suburbs are using larvaciding, canvassing of mosquitoes and aerial spraying.

Legislator Bob Kunis (D-8) suggested that drains in higher- density pedestrian areas get some attention. "The county's going to do what it can to monitor. Oh, I don't know," Kunis said in apparent frustration with the situation.

Leni Binder (D-7) said little lakes and ponds are a problem as well, which can't be treated. "Let's wait and see for now. I'm hesitant about starting to throw chemicals around," she said. Binder also chided the state for allowing a wide variety of responses to the problem. "Until we get a uniform approach from the state, the problem isn't going to get too far (towards a solution,)" she said.

Rodney Gaebel (RC-5) agreed with wait and see. "We're only about two or three weeks away from weather that isn't very attractive to mosquitoes," Gaebel said.

Pomeroy suggested that drains should be tested for problem mosquitoes before chemicals are applied. Pomeroy directed that the Legislature's public safety committee take over the West Nile virus issue at their next meeting "and deal with the issue as needed then."