ALBUQUERQUE BERNALILLO COUNTY
WATER UTILITY AUTHORITY
BILL NO. R-17-17
SPONSORED BY: O’MALLEY/DAVIS
RESOLUTION
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Requesting that the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Bernalillo Place an Advisory Question on the 2018 General Election Ballot Concerning Adding Supplemental Fluoride to the Drinking Water
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WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal Panel on Community Water Fluoridation has issued a report that contains a final recommendation which concludes that the optimal concentration of fluoride in drinking water is 0.7 milligrams/liter (mg/L); and,
WHEREAS, According to the report, which may be found at <http://www.publichealthreports.org/documents/PHS_2015_Fluoride_Guidelines.pdf>, drinking water with fluoride in concentrations of 0.7mg/L provides the best balance of protection from dental caries while limiting the risk of dental fluorosis; and,
WHEREAS, the drinking water served by the Water Authority naturally contains fluoride from ground water sources in an average concentration of 0.5 mg/L; and,
WHEREAS, in order to meet the average concentration of 0.7 mg/L recommended fluoride standard, it would require that the Water Authority add supplemental fluoride to the drinking water; and,
WHEREAS, the proposal that the Water Authority add supplemental fluoride to the drinking water has generated substantial public interest and controversy; and,
WHEREAS, this question as to whether to add supplemental fluoride has been sent to City of Albuquerque voters almost five decades ago, and it is now a county wide question; and,
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Bernalillo has the authority to place a question on the ballot upon its duly-passed resolution to do so; and,
WHEREAS, while the result of the election on this question would not be binding on the Water Authority, its governing Board believes that permitting the public to express its sentiment on an issue that has significant local impact may well represent the purest form of democracy upon which this nation was founded, and moreover, such results will provide further information to aid in the Board’s consideration of the issue.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE WATER AUTHORITY:
Section 1. The Board finds that whether or not the majority of the voters favor or oppose the addition of supplemental fluoride to Water Authority drinking water to meet the public health recommendation of an average concentration of 0.7 mg/L is an unsettled question and of general public interest in Bernalillo County.
Section 2. Based on this finding, the Board respectfully requests that the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Bernalillo place an advisory question on the November 2018 general election ballot to determine if county voters favor or oppose the addition of supplemental fluoride to the drinking water distributed by the Water Authority to meet the recommended fluoride standard average of 0.7mg/L.