PORT ANGELES — The City Council will hold a special meeting Wednesday to discuss the two anti-fluoridation initiatives submitted to the city.
The special meeting, open to the public, is set for 3 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
City Attorney Bill Bloor said the council is meeting because the city never has had the initiative and referendum process.
So council members need to discuss the city’s options and what to do next, he said.
Two separate anti-fluoridation groups delivered signed petitions to the city on Friday.
The City Council in 2003 approved an ordinance to add fluoride to the city water supply to reduce tooth decay.
Fluoride was added to the water supply in May after the construction of a fluoridation facility.
The initiative petitions need the signatures of 1,623 registered voters who live within the city limit to qualify for the ballot.
Members of the ballot initiative committee Our Water — Our Choice! delivered 191 petition sheets containing an estimated 2,300 signatures to Port Angeles City Clerk Becky Upton on Friday.
The petition seeks to have the Medical Independence Act either adopted by the City Council or put to a public vote.
It would prohibit medication of people through drinking water.
Another 190 petitions with an estimated 2,300 signatures also was delivered to the city clerk on Friday by members of the ballot initiative committee Protect Our Waters.
That petition seeks to have the Water Additives Safety Act also either adopted by the council, or put to a public vote.