Crowley officials monitoring Senate Bill 2 on water fluoridation; city cites recent supply costs

Crowley officials told the council they traveled to Baton Rouge to follow a pending state measure, Senate Bill 2, that would change how sodium fluoride is added to municipal water systems and could shift costs for small cities.

“We had gone presented with a request of Senator Fessi… on the Senate Bill 2, which bans statewide the addition of sodium fluoride into the water,” said an alderwoman who attended the Capitol visits. She reported the bill passed favorably from a Senate committee and through the Senate floor, and was moving to the House; the bill had an implementation date amendment placing a potential effective date at Jan. 1, 2026.

Officials said the move to a statewide law would “exonerate” cities from conducting local referenda and bearing the high cost of compliance or holding elections. Council members also described local budget impacts: the city bought a pallet of fluoride earlier this year at an initial cost of about $4,500 that rose to roughly $6,000 after new tariffs.

Nut graf: Crowley’s leaders described SB2 as a policy in flux that could reduce local election and equipment costs if enacted statewide, while warning the measure could change as it moves through the Legislature; the council asked staff to monitor the bill’s progress and report at the next full meeting.

What officials asked: Staff said they will continue to track SB2 and report any substantive shifts; one councilor said federal activity may also affect the issue and she would check with contacts in Washington.