The controversial topic of fluoridating town water supplies will be aired again in Ranfurly next week.
A referendum on the issue was held during the 2007 local body elections and the matter was considered by Central Otago community boards the following year.
Three out of four boards - Cromwell, Roxburgh and Alexandra - opted against introducing fluoride to town water supplies within their respective areas, while the Maniototo board decided it would proceed with fluoridation of the Ranfurly supply.
Central Otago District Council water services manager Russell Bond has updated the board, saying attempts to carry out that resolution and introduce fluoride to Ranfurly had been held up since 2008 by Ministry of Health subsidy budget delays.
"The decision that put a hold on the drinking water subsidy scheme had the same impact to the fluoridation budgets," he told the board in a report to be tabled at its meeting on Thursday. However, communities could now apply to the Ministry of Health for 100% of the cost of installing fluoride dosing equipment, conditional on the community agreeing to commit to continuing the fluoridation for 10 years.
If the 10-year target was not met, the funds had to be repaid on a pro-rata basis. No operational costs were covered, Mr Bond said.
The board should revisit its decision and either confirm or reject it.
"This matter of fluoridation of public water supplies is considered significant as it often generates significant public interest, with often extreme views, for and against, expressed," he said.
The Clutha District council told the Central Otago council it cost about $25,000 to install fluoridation into a water supply for a town the size of Ranfurly. The running cost was estimated at $500-$700 a month, which worked out as $10-$13 per connection a year.
Mr Bond pointed out that the 2007 referendum of district residents was open to all ratepayers, not just those on town water supplies, so the overall results should be treated with caution.
The referendum results for the Maniototo, Alexandra and Roxburgh wards were evenly divided, with almost an equal number in favour and opposed to fluoride. Most voters in the Cromwell and Earnscleugh-Manuherikia wards favoured fluoride.
The referendum was done at the request of the Otago District Health Board.
Mr Bond said the Maniototo board had two options. It could decide that committing to 10 years of operational costs was too costly for Ranfurly water consumers and drop the plan to fluoridate the water, or decide the public health argument was proven and the costs were acceptable, and proceed.
