Monroe council amends code to stop adding fluoride to city water in 4-3 vote

The Monroe Common Council voted 4-3 to amend City Code section 8-4-10 and set the city's fluoridation concentration to zero, a change that will end the routine addition of fluoride to Monroe's drinking water if the mayor does not veto the ordinance.

The public hearing that preceded the vote drew several health professionals and local residents who urged the council to retain fluoridation. "Fluoridated water reduces cavities in children and adults by 25 percent," said Jamie Botts, a public health nurse with Greene County Public Health, during the public comment period. Dr. Allison Agnes, a local dentist who treats Medicaid patients, asked the council to delay any removal vote to allow for additional screenings and prevention work.

Council debate centered on competing appeals to public-health expertise and individual choice. Supporters of retaining fluoride pointed to submissions from dental and public-health professionals and the expense and technical difficulty of reinstating fluoridation later; opponents argued for personal choice and cited emerging studies and legal trends. One council member stated, "I'm against the amendment 100%." during debate, while another argued that residents should have a choice about mass medication.

The clerk recorded the roll-call vote as 4 in favor and 3 opposed. Meeting staff explained that the ordinance will become effective after the mayor signs it or five days pass without action and the ordinance is published; a mayoral veto would require a six-vote council majority to override.

The council's action replaces the previous drafting that tied the city standard to Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 809.74 and instead establishes a local concentration of zero. The mayor has five days to sign or veto; if the mayor takes no action the ordinance will be published and the water utility will stop adding fluoride upon publication.