AMHERST — The Select Board on Monday voted to support an increase on the surcharge on residential tax bills, and opposed more rigorous testing of the fluoride that has been put in the town’s drinking water supply since 1987…

Special Town Meeting

Meanwhile, the Select Board also reviewed warrant articles for a special Town Meeting beginning Nov. 5. The board will ask Town Meeting members to defeat a petition article calling for the more rigorous fluoride testing.

Muthoni Magua of Pine Street advocated for a warrant article that would require the town’s Water Department to do more testing on the fluoride and make sure heavy metal contaminants, such as arsenic, aluminum, lead and uranium, are absent.

“As we all know, the heavy metals are toxic,” Magua said.

Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford Mooring, who oversees the Water Department, said the town already does testing and it would be impossible to meet the conditions of the petition article.

The Board of Health earlier this month voted to continue the fluoridation and suggested defeating the warrant article, which could hurt the efforts to ensure all children are getting fluoride.

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