Loveland’s Utilities Commission will take a look Tuesday at an issue that has been pretty low on the city’s radar for the past 60 years: fluoridation of city water.

At a meeting slated for 4 p.m. at the Police and Courts Building, 810 E. 10th St., a pair of presentations is planned for commissioners: one seeking the reinstatement of fluoride additives to the city water supply at least to pre-2010 levels, and another seeking the removal of all fluoride.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend to learn more.

At issue is an apparent change in the city’s fluoridation process in the past few years, according to Larry Sarner of Loveland. In an interview Tuesday, he said that state-mandated reports in the past four years showed the city periodically discontinued fluoridation of the city’s water in 2010 because of maintenance at the treatment plant and didn’t resume them until 2013. However, when the city resumed fluoridating the city’s water, it was at about half of the level previous to 2010, Sarner said. According to city figures, only in the past couple of months has it returned to pre-2010 levels.

Fluoridation of the city’s water was approved by a resolution of the Loveland City Council in 1952, and the practice began at the treatment plant in 1954. Health officials say the optimum amount for the prevention of tooth decay is 1 part per million, and Loveland has been at about half that level since reintroducing the treatment in the past year.

However, officials expect a second group to argue that fluoride should not be added to the city’s water at all.

In 2005, advocates were able to get a measure onto the Fort Collins municipal ballot, but it failed by a 2-1 margin out of the roughly 30,000 votes cast. They cited possible links between the substance and other health problems.

Residents who want to speak at the meeting will be given 2-3 minutes in front of the commission.

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