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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes2010-015 Sponsored by: Oates CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA RESOLUTION 2010 -015 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA, AFFIRMING COUNCIL SUPPORT FOR FLUORIDATION OF THE PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY TO IMPROVE ORAL HEALTH, AND DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO DETERMINE THE REQUIREMENTS AND COSTS FOR SAFELY ADDING FLUORIDE TO THE COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEM AND REPORT ON GRANTS AND OTHER FUNDING SOURCES FOR SUBSIDIZING THOSE COSTS WHEREAS, the Seward City Council is the governing body of the City of Seward and recognizes that there is community support for the fluoridation of the City of Seward public water system; and WHEREAS, the Seward City Council recognizes that dental tooth decay is a chronic disease and that community fluoridation is a public health measure that benefits all individuals; and WHEREAS, fluoridation of community water supplies is supported by numerous professional heath organizations including the American Public Health Association, American Dental Association, World Health Organization and the American Medical Association; and WHEREAS, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has named water fluoridation as one of the ten greatest public health achievements and in 2005 marked the 60 anniversary of water fluoridation in the United States; and WHEREAS, SGS (the City's certified lab) conducted a standard water test aimed at detecting fluoride levels of 0.1 parts per million and higher on March 9, 2009, and fluoride was not detected in the Seward City water; and WHEREAS, the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) established the position that the optimal concentration for fluoride in the United States should be in the range of 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million; and WHEREAS, fluoridation of community water supplies at an optimal level has been shown to reduce the incidence of tooth decay; and WHEREAS, community water fluoridation simply adjusts the level of fluoride that occurs naturally in water to the level considered optimal in helping to protect against tooth decay as shown in 72.4% of the U.S. population served by public water systems that are optimally fluoridated; and WHEREAS, the Council of State Governments resolution on community water fluoridation supports state efforts to provide community water fluoridation; and CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA RESOLUTION 2010 -015 WHEREAS, the Indian Health Service may contribute up to 21% of the capital infrastructure costs for the fluoridation of community water; and WHEREAS, there are pros and cons to adding fluoride to community water supplies and there is passion among both the proponents and opponents of fluoridation; and WHEREAS, resolution 2009 -043 addressed the issue of whether fluoride should be added to the City of Seward water, and authorized placing the question on the ballot as an advisory vote to allow the qualified voters to advise the City Council on whether or not to fluoridate the water; and WHEREAS, resolution 2009 -043 advisory ballot was titled as follows: "Proposition 1. (Advisory) Shall fluoride be added to the City of Seward water to the level of (0.7 -1.2 parts per million) recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service "; and WHEREAS, the results of the October 6, 2008 regular election which included an advisory vote were as follows: Election Day votes (Yes: 229 versus No: 206); after canvass votes (Yes: 50 versus No: 28); and the total votes were (Yes: 279 and No: 234); and WHEREAS, the advisory vote on adding fluoride to the City of Seward's water was non binding; and WHEREAS, at the January 11, 2010 council meeting the Seward City Council was given information concerning the pros and cons of fluoridating the City of Seward water supply in the range of 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA, that: Section 1. The city council recognizes and supports the public health benefits of community water fluoridation for preventing dental decay and is committed to the safe and effective practice of water fluoridation as defined by the Centers for Disease Control Preventions' Engineering and Administrative Recommendation to Water Fluoridation. Section 2. The city council directs the city manager to hire a qualified professional engineering firm for an amount not to exceed $50,000, to determine the impacts and requirements in terms of equipment, training, infrastructure, and safeguards of adding fluoride to City of Seward water system. The findings and conclusions from this study, and other requirements for the water system, shall be considered by the city council prior to the appropriation of funds for adding fluoride to the City of Seward water supply. CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA RESOLUTION 2010 -015 Section 3. The city council also directs the city manager to report back to the city council all grants and funding sources that maybe available to subsidize the costs of adding fluoride to the City of Seward water supply. Section 4. Once the city council appropriates funds for the fluoridation of the City of Seward water supply, the city manager will initiate actions for fluoridation of the water supply to a minimum level of 0.7 and not to exceed 1.2 parts per million, the recommended fluoride level of fluoride in public water supplies according to the U.S. Public Health Service. Section 5. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption. PASSED AND APPROVED by the City Council of the City of Seward, Alaska, this 22nd day of February, 2010. THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA Willard E. Dunham, Mayor AYES: Bardarson, Keil, Shafer, Dunham NOES: Valdatta, Amberg ABSENT: Smith ABSTAIN: None ed®wasa 0, ov ATT "{� ^` ' 0 _ k I' , w M J Lewis CM' Ww. a •. y Clerk ®p er® .B9 ®QO ay ��; °� '�a o N gti. ,`'► (City Seal) . ae ® wrauai a`�� Council Agenda Statement r 4 Of Sew Meeting Date: February 22, 2010 v 97a 44•2‘ To: City Council q Through: Phillip Oates, City Manager Agenda Item: Resolution 2010 - /5, affirming council support for fluoridation ofthe public water supply to improve oral health, and directing the city manager to determine the requirements and costs for safely adding fluoride to the community water system and report on grants and other funding sources for subsidizing those costs BACKGROUND & JUSTIFICATION: Providence, the City of Seward, and other Health and Wellness Entities have met to discuss how to improve the health and wellness of the Seward community. This "Wellness for All" initiative originated with the 2008 publication of Seward Region's Community Needs Assessment and the information in the report. The Wellness For All Group's overarching goal is to improve wellness in the Seward community. Four sub - groups were created focusing on smoking cessation, obesity, increasing awareness of programs and opportunities available in the community, and improving oral health. The improving oral health subgroup focused on water fluoridation as a preventative tool against dental disease. The fluoride issue has gathered a lot of attention both for and against putting fluoride in the City of Seward water. Based on over 60 years of research, the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) established the optimum concentration for fluoride in the United States in the range of 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million. Fluoridation of community water supplies involves the addition of fluoride to the public water supply to an optimal level to reduce the incidence of tooth decay. Community fluoridation is a public health measure that benefits individuals without access to regular dental care. Fluoridation of community water supplies is supported by numerous professional health organizations including the American Public Health Association, American Dental Association, World Health Organization, and the American Medical Association. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has named water fluoridation as one ofthe ten greatest public health achievements and in 2005 marked the 60 anniversary of water fluoridation in the United States. On March 9, 2009, SGS (a certified testing lab) conducted a standard water test for fluoride. This test did not detect fluoride under .10 parts per million in the Seward City water. The United States Public Health Service (USPHS) established the opinion that the concentration for fluoride in the United States should be in the range of 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million. Fluoridation of community water supplies at an optimal level has been proven to reduce the incidence of tooth decay. Funding from the Indian n .. 67 Health Service may be available to contribute up to 21% of the capital infrastructure costs for the fluoridation of community water systems. There are pros and cons to adding fluoride to community water supplies and there is passion among both the proponents and opponents of fluoridation. Resolution 2009 -043 placed the issue ofwhether fluoride should be added to the City of Seward water on the ballot as an advisory vote allowing the qualified voters to advise the City Council on whether to fluoridate the water or not. The advisory ballot was titled as follows: "Proposition 1. (Advisory) Shall fluoride be added to the City of Seward water to the level of (0.7 -1.2 parts per million) recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service." The results of the October 6, 2008 regular election were as follows: Election Day votes (Yes: 229 versus No: 206); after canvass votes (Yes: 50 versus No: 28); and the total votes were (Yes: 279 and No: 234). This vote was non binding, letting Council consider the voting results as a recommendation for action. The Seward City Council is the governing body of the City of Seward and the Seward City Council has recognized that there is community support for the fluoridation of the City of Seward public water system. The Seward City Council also recognizes that dental tooth decay is a chronic disease and the most common chronic disease found in rural Alaska children. At the January 11, 2010 council meeting the City Council was given information concerning the pros and cons of fluoridating the City of Seward water supply in the range of 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million. At the council meeting the city council directed the city manager to bring back a subsequent resolution supporting the fluoridation of the City's water supply to a minimum level o f 0.7 and not to exceed 1.2 parts per million and begin the actions that are necessary to safely add fluoride to City of Seward water with the following conditions: 1. The city council directs the city manager to hire a qualified professional engineering firm for an amount not to exceed $50,000, to determine the impacts and requirements in terms of equipment, training, infrastructure, and safeguards of adding fluoride to City of Seward water system. The findings and conclusions from this study, and other requirements for the water system, shall be considered by the city council prior to the appropriation of funds for adding fluoride to the City of Seward water supply. 2. The city council also directs the city manager to report back to the city council all grants and funding sources that may be available to subsidize the costs of adding fluoride to the City of Seward water supply. 3. Once the city council appropriates funds for the fluoridation of the City of Seward water supply, the city manager will initiate actions for fluoridation of the water supply to a minimum level of 0.7 and not to exceed 1.2 parts per million, the recommended fluoride level of fluoride in public water supplies according to the U.S. Public Health Service. CONSISTENCY CHECKLIST: Where applicable, this resolution is consistent with the Seward City Code, Charter, Comprehensive Plans, Land Use Plans, Strategic Plan and City Council Rules of Procedures. Other: FISCAL NOTE: This resolution authorizes expenditures not to exceed $50,000 for hiring an engineering firm. Costs exceeding $50,000 will necessarily com before council for approval. Approved by Finance Department: 4.te. ATTORNEY REVIEW: No 0 L RECOMMENDATION: City Council approve Resolution 2010- 0/6 , affirming council support for fluoridation of the public water supply to improve oral health, and directing the city manager to determine the requirements and costs for safely adding fluoride to the community water system and report on grants and other funding sources for subsidizing those costs 67