The Dexter Board of Aldermen approved an increase to the water, sewer and trash rates at its November meeting.
City Attorney Yewell “Bud” Lawrence presented three ordinances to the board to address the rates. City Administrator Trevor Pulley said the rates have not been addressed since 2015 and Dexter has had the lowest rates in the area. He further stated that the increase would be necessary to buy trash trucks and keep the sanitation side going. Pulley said the trash rates for the city have been increasing and this year went up $2 a ton. He stated that currently the cost of pipes and other equipment for the water department are very high. Pulley said the city recently tried to get a quote on some pipes and the quote was only good for an hour or two due to the increasing prices.
The ordinances raised the water, sewer and trash rates a total of $5 a month for residential customers. The minimum monthly rate for water will rise from $9.25 to $11, the minimum sewer rate will rise from $3.75 to $5 and trash will raise from $14 to $16 per month for two 30-gallon containers or four 30-gallon heavy duty trash bags. Tags for each additional container or trash bag can still be purchased at city hall for $1 each. The trash rates for special customers will rise from $19 to $20.75 per month for three 30-gallon containers or six 30-gallon heavy duty trash bags.
The dumpster rates were also raised by the city. Customers using a dumpster will now pay the city $88.50 per month for a dumpster two cubic yards in size and $172 per month for a dumpster four cubic yards in size. The previous rates were $83.50 and $167, respectively.
Pulley said the increases were inevitable and are necessary to update facilities and infrastructure so the city can maintain the water and sewer quality that the city currently has.
“This was inevitable, like I said this has have been visited or looked at since 2015,” said Pulley. “It is inevitable that you are going to have to raise this as an economical forward. We have to replace (water) plants. We have to replace lines. It is just the way economics are. We have to keep going forward to make sure we have the best water and sewer quality.”
The board approved the increase of the rates. The new rates will take effect on January 1, 2022.
Economic
Development
Dexter Chamber Executive Director Alisha Trammell highlighted some upcoming events. The lighting of the city’s Christmas tree will be Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at the downtown depot. The chamber will begin the sale of Christmas Doe on Nov. 11 and Moonlight Madness will take place Nov. 12.
Trammell then showed the board the colors and logo for the city’s new websites, which are currently under construction. The new Dexter logo will be used online and on apparel. Water towers and other parts of the city that feature the current Dexter name and logos will not be repainted.
The new online Dexter logos will feature a horseshoe with the “D” in recognition of the race horse from which the city derived its name. A railroad spike will also be incorporated into the logo. Trammell said the new logo was designed to highlight Dexter’s past and where the city came from.
The new logo was also designed to create uniformity on the city’s websites. Pulley said right now you may see one logo on the chamber website and different logos on the city site, police and fire department sites. When the new sites launch in the near future, they will all feature the same logos and color designs. Pulley said this way individuals that visit the sites will know they are all for Dexter and not another location.
Water Plant
City Engineer Rich Cochran said the city received a letter from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regarding the water plant at the east lagoon. Cochran said since the water plant was installed it has not performed as designed. Cochran said the city has been making repairs and improvements for 11 years but now the city will have to look at something major to take care of the issue with the plant. He stated that the DNR knows of the issue because the DNR has been working with the city through this process.
Cochran said one reason the city has been doing minor things is due to new systems at the lagoons that were “a few million dollars of construction” and are not paid off as of yet. He said the DNR wants the city to enter a study with them to determine the best solution. Cochran said the solution will not be cheap. Cochran said he received a box of media with which he and Water and Wastewater Superintendent Tom Espey will do a pilot study and see if this could be a solution.
Cochran said the city must meet the parameters for biological oxygen demand, suspended solids and ammonia. Other parameters such as phosphorus and total nitrogen are in the future. If this study meets the current parameters, another upgrade may be necessary in five years.
Cochran said once the solution is determined a game plan will have to be discussed to determine the cost and how it will be financed. This current issue is separate from the ultraviolet system the city installed. Cochran said there are other cities in the same situation.
Pulley said he has been checking into money options. He said he has been in contact with other state and federal agencies regarding the city’s infrastructure. He has also looked into grants. Pulley said the city cannot apply for some grants because the city’s water rates are not high enough.
He stated that some require that 2% of the median household be related to sewer water. This means that the water bill alone for residents would have to be more than $60 a month, which isn’t an option. Pulley said the city has met with other state agencies on the matter.
Espey said the DNR and the state has been fair with the city on this issue. The city has until late November to send a response to the DNR. Pulley will write a letter to the DNR to gain more time for the city to complete studies, so as to determine the best route forward. Pulley said they don’t just need a plan for now but to address future requirements by the state and DNR. A special meeting will be scheduled in the future to discuss the finding and a possible route forward..
Other Business
The board passed two more ordinances during the meeting. The first shortened the filing period for city offices. In accordance with state law the filing period will now run from 8 a.m. Dec. 7 to 5 p.m. Dec. 28.
The second officially named a road recently dedicated to the city. The road was dedicated to the city as part of a land purchase by a manufacturing company. The road lies west of Faurecia and runs from Arvin Road south to the Union Pacific Railroad. The road will be named Stidham Drive in memory of former Dexter City Administrator, the late Mark Stidham.
Dexter Police Chief Hank Trout said the department received a bulletproof grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. This is a 50/50 grant and will replace 10 of the department’s bulletproof vests.
Pulley asked for a public hearing to take place at the December meeting. The hearing is to hear input from citizens on the possibility of legalizing the use of UTVs on the streets of Dexter. Pulley and the board stressed that they want to hear from people on both sides of the issue.
Pulley stated he was contacted by some citizens asking about sounding the tornado sirens on Veterans Day. Both Pulley and alderman Frank Killian, who are veterans, appreciated the sentiment but felt that since it was emergency equipment it would not be appropriate. Alderman Tim Aslin agreed with Killian and Pulley.
Dexter Mayor Jason Banken appointed Alma Smith to the Dexter Tree Board. The board approved the appointment.