Council to discuss possible May referendum on removing fluoride from drinking water
Beaumont — Beaumont City Council is scheduled to discuss fluoride in drinking water during a work session at Tuesday's council meeting, and the possibility of authorizing a referendum on whether to remove it.
The work session on the agenda indicates council will review and discuss fluoride in water treatment, and consider authorizing the City Manager to place an item on the May ballot to remove fluoride from the surface water treatment process.
City Councilman Mike Getz posted about the issue on his Facebook page.
Getz says he believes the city does a good job in making sure that when the water department adds fluoride to Beaumont's drinking water, it ensures that the levels don't exceed the recommended dosage set by the TCEQ and other regulatory agencies. However, Getz says if given the choice, he'd rather the city not add fluoride to the city's drinking water.
According to Councilman Getz, in 1954 when the city was first considering whether to add fluoride to the water supply, citizens rejected the idea by a 2-1 margin in a referendum. He says in 1970, city council approved adding fluoride without seeking voter approval.
