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Council awards chemicals contract after council rejects ban on fluoride purchases
Summary
Council voted to award bid 2025-122026 for water and wastewater treatment chemicals. A motion to prohibit buying fluoride failed 3–4 after members cited legal and operational constraints; the bid award passed 5–2.
The Grand Forks City Council on Jan. 5 approved the award of bid 2025-122026 for chemicals used in water and wastewater treatment after rejecting a motion to prohibit fluoride purchases.
During discussion of the chemicals contract, Council member Masowski (S6) moved that the city not authorize the purchase of fluoride, citing recent federal and state shifts and community actions in other states. Masowski argued the secretary of health and human services had directed the CDC to stop recommending community fluoridation and noted recent state-level bans elsewhere.
Other council members and staff pushed back, noting the city currently has an ordinance setting a target fluoride concentration and that removing fluoride purchases could leave the city unable to meet the ordinance requirement without a separate ordinance change and further planning. A roll-call vote on the motion to withhold fluoride purchases recorded three votes in favor and four opposed, so the motion failed.
Following that failed motion, council moved to award the chemical procurement contract; the award passed 5–2. The minutes record Friedolfs and Osowski as dissenting votes on the award.
City staff noted follow-up would be required if council later chooses to change the fluoride ordinance because supplies and operational plans assume the current ordinance range.
