By Giovanni Roverso
The City Council is hosting two public information forums on fluoridation at the City Hall Council Chambers, according to Council Member Lee Whetham.
The first, falls on Oct. 22 at 6 p.m., and will include an independently moderated debate between proponents and opponents over six major questions on the topic, followed by a 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. meeting on Oct. 29 that will be reserved for public comment.
On November 6, 2015, surveys will be mailed out to City water users for an opinion on fluoridating the municipal water supply.
The council will then have to make a long-term decision on whether to continue the addition of fluoride to city water by May, when a 10-year trial paid for by the Washington State Dental Foundation is due to expire. This came to be even though the community voted overwhelmingly against fluoridation in a 1975 advisory ballot election.
In 2010, an anti-fluoride class action lawsuit brought the issue to the Washington State Supreme Court so that citizens could have a binding vote, but it failed, leaving the final say up to the city’s ad- ministration, hence the current situation.
A rally is scheduled Oct. 29 beginning at the Gateway Transit Center at 12:00 p.m. which will then end at the City Hall in time for the open forum.