(Port Angeles) – The Clallam Board of Health this week passed a resolution that fluoride should be added to water county wide.

The resolution was added to the board’s meeting Tuesday at the last minute and was not made part of the publicly-released agenda.

Under the resolution, the board is urging the addition of fluoride to all water in the county and deems it a method to address a public health issue of poor dental health.

But one county commissioner is not in favor of the resolution. County commission chair Mike Chapman was the only one voting against the resolution.

But he also says the fluoride issue has now become a countywide issue, not just in the city of Port Angeles.

County commissioner Bill Peach voted for the resolution. Commissioner Mark Ozias had to leave the meeting prior to the board of health’s vote and hasn’t indicated his stance on the resolution.

The board of health resolution would still need approval from the county commission to become an ordinance or enact the suggested requirements.

The county board of health is made up of the three county commissioners, a cities’ representative, a hospital districts’ representative and two at-large members.

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