Flouridation decision postponed

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 42, 10 April 1984, Page 4

Flouridation decision postponed

At last month's meeting of the Raetihi Borough Council a sometimes heated discussion revolved around whether or not to include the possible flouridation of the town's water supply in next year's estimates ... or indeed ever. At a previous meeting in February Cr A. Cornwall had proposed that Council require the Works Committee to obtain costings and the Finance Committee to include those. costings as part of the 1984-85 Annual Estimates' for the flouridation of the Borough water supply.

Because no costs had been obtained in time for last ( month's meeting, when the estimates were due to be discussed, it was necessary to have the motion altered to avoid delaying the discussion on the Estimates. But, according to Standing Orders, this can only be done by council agreeing to permit the original motion to be changed and it was then that councillors questioned the need to even consider the possible flouridation, saying that the feedback they've received from ratepayers was generally adverse.

Mayor Workman pointed out that before the advisability or otherwise of flouridation could be debated it was first necessary to have the motion changed so that the cost of such a scheme could be ascertained. After some heated discussion Council agreed to allow Cr Cornwall to change the wording of his motion to read: "That the question of obtaining costs to flouridate the Raetihi Borough water supply not be cOnsidered as part of the 1984-85 estimates but be referred to Works and Finance committees for further consideration."