DEFOREST, Wis. (WKOW) — The Village of DeForest Board is postponing its vote on removing fluoride from the village’s water supply. Discussions around the issue have been happening since November 2024.
Village President Jane Cahill Wolfgram made a motion at Tuesday’s board meeting to postpone the vote. She said there needed to be more listening sessions before a final decision is made.
“We’re dealing with the health of our residents. So we need to be serious,” Wolfgram said.
However, not all board members were on board with her motion to postpone the vote. They said they’ve done listening sessions and they don’t think another one is going to change their minds.
The proposal to stop adding the mineral to the water cited costs, possible health concerns and said putting fluoride in the water supply removes individual choice of fluoride consumption.
But the Wisconsin Dental Association said putting fluoride in the water is the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay.
Some people at Tuesday’s meeting said not enough information about the issue was dispersed to them before the vote.
“One of the reasons I wanted to be a trustee was to be a voice of the people and it has been an resounding voice the last couple of days that people have not felt like they’ve had the opportunity to be heard. Whether or not that’s going to change peoples’ minds, I do believe that it’s our responsibility to give individuals the opportunity to be heard,” said Village of DeForest Trustee Taysheedra Allen.
The board said it will come back to the issue at its next meeting February 4. This means the additional listening sessions will have to happen within the next two weeks.
Board members said in addition to listening sessions, they plan to send out surveys. There will also be a page on the village’s website where people can submit written comments.
Original article online at: https://www.wkow.com/news/village-of-deforest-postpones-vote-on-removing-fluoride-from-water-supply/article_c2ad8984-d862-11ef-b9e1-c3f2af467c79.html