There was a lot of debate once again on the topic of fluoride in the Longview water supply at last night’s city council meeting. The public hearing lasted about three hours, but ultimately, a final decision is still a bit up in the air.

The council voted 4-3 to direct staff to have a conversation with the Beacon Hill Water & Sewer District and then instruct staff to return with a resolution at the March 27th council meeting. If passed, the resolution would add an advisory vote to the November 2025 election ballot. The no votes came from Councilmembers MaryAlice Wallis, Ruth Kendall, and Angie Wean.

The decision to move in this direction came after it was pointed out during the meeting that any decision made on fluoride would need to be reciprocated by their partners at the Beacon Hill Water & Sewer District. Councilmember Erik Halvorson was the one who originally recommended that this issue be put up for a referendum on the November 2025 election ballot. He first brought the fluoride discussion to the council and still stands behind his belief that there are risks associated with fluoride.

Councilmember Kendall argued that this was a public health issue and that the removal of fluoride would affect the poorest members of the community, including children. She felt that, given the overwhelming support for fluoride shown over the last few months, that a referendum wasn’t necessary.

Assistant City Manager Chris Collins said that adding the vote to the November ballot would cost roughly $10,000 to $15,000. Mayor Spencer Boudreau argued that this was a reasonable price to ensure the largest sample size on the issue.

Longview pays around $14,000 per year to add fluoride to the city water.