Skagit County commissioners, acting as the county Board of Health, voted 2-1 today to reverse their 2007 order requiring the Skagit Public Utility District to fluoridate part of its water supply.

Commissioners Ron Wesen and Sharon Dillon voted to rescind the order, effectively ending a fluoridation program the PUD had hardly begun in the 21 months since the order.

Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt voted against the reversal. He and former Commissioner Don Munks had cast the votes to enact the order in May 2007.

The resolution approved today mentions three reasons for the reversal:

• The failure of the PUD and the Washington State Dental Foundation to reach agreement on how to cover the costs of the fluoride system,

• The commissioners’ unwillingness to impose a new program that would be a cost burden to the PUD, and

• The county’s desire to avoid a possible lawsuit between the PUD and the county over the 2007 order.

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