The Madison Water Board proceeds with its plan to discontinue fluoridation in spite of public outcry.

A community-wide discussion that has only gotten more heated in recent weeks was triggered by the board's vote on March 17 to stop fluoridation, a procedure that has been in place since 1991. The board's only dissenting voice, Madison City Council member Connie Spears, returned to the table Monday with two motions: one to overturn the previous ruling and another to at least put it on hold for additional research.

Neither was successful.

She did not even get a second on her first move to revoke the March vote. Only Board Chairman Terris Tatum supported her subsequent suggestion to postpone the fluoride cutoff in order to collect additional information, answer unanswered questions, and evaluate the possible rate impact on consumers. Al Sullivan, Larry Miles, and Kerry Straub all voted against both initiatives.

More than 19,000 water consumers will be impacted by the proposal to stop adding fluoride by June 16 as a result of that vote.

A Divided Community That Is Mostly Unheard

The meeting was a sharp contrast to previous public events, such as a city council meeting and two recent utilities board sessions, which attracted dozens of fervent speakers, many of whom urged the board to maintain fluoride in the water. In contrast, only seven citizens participated in the ballot on Monday, and five of them supported the continuation of fluoridation.

The lower turnout was hardly an indication of indifference. According to Spears, 79 percent of the 160 emails she got from residents about the matter supported the retention of fluoride.

The board's actions were perceived by many in the room as a smack in the face of public feedback.

Following the vote, resident Michael Goodman stated, "Chairman Tatum urged us to engage, to show up, to voice out." And we did. However, the public is not paying attention currently, even if 70% of them express a clear desire for fluoridation.

A Convenient Excuse or a Bigger Discussion?

With this decision, Madison becomes the first "Big 10" city in Alabama to stop fluoridation, a strategy long pushed by public health experts as an effective, low-cost method of preventing cavities in children and promoting dental health for everybody.

The decision's opponents are concerned that the city's reputation and public health may suffer if fluoridation is discontinued.

Hatcher, one of the speakers, said, "You could care more now that most Madison citizens want this." "And when it starts to harm property values—when families start avoiding Madison because our water is not fluoridated—you might care even more."

However, utility executives have presented the choice as an infrastructure issue rather than an ideological one. Water manager David Moore previously testified before the City Council that the decision was primarily motivated by concerns about worker safety and equipment deterioration.

However, in an odd turn of events this week, utility officials cited “a national conversation” on fluoride, citing individuals such as renowned vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has urged federal agencies to stop supporting water fluoridation.

What Will Happen to Madison Next?

By mid-June, the fluoride taps will run out unless something is done. For the time being, Madison's citizens must live with a decision that was reached behind closed doors and is weighed down by politics, science, and a good deal of suspicion.

All that is left is the impression that the community was asked to speak, but maybe never really heard.