Dexter tackles minimum wage hike and storm damage recovery in special meeting

The Dexter Board of Aldermen met in a special meeting Dec. 9 to discuss the minimum wage increase and disaster damage to be turned into FEMA. The damage is a result of the storm damage to the Dexter area earlier in the year.

Pool

Parks and Recreation Director Jamie Rowe said she has been looking at ways to offset the minimum wage increase. Rowe suggested increasing the entry fee at the pool from $8.50 to $9.00 per person or adjusting hours.

Rowe said she reviewed daily attendance for 2024 and said 91 patrons are needed to cover the cost of wages for one day and 159 patrons to cover daily expenses.

The board discussed hours, pool passes, concession fees and entry fees at other area facilities. Dexter Mayor Mark Snider asked for the park board to gather information for City Auditor Eddie Cato. This information will allow Cato to compile the net effect of increasing entry fees or adjusting hours or days to offset the minimum wage increase. This will be reviewed at the January meeting.

FEMA

Don Seymore, Dexter fire chief and EMA director, then went over the list of items to be or have been turned in to FEMA. Seymour said the initial debris removal is under review with FEMA.

He said the initial protective measures project had been reviewed by FEMA and transferred to SEMA.

Seymour said the sidewalk project is nearly complete and will be sent for review by FEMA and the. The street demolition project is waiting on an insurance check.

He said the vehicle/equipment project is waiting for repairs to the water backhoe, dump trucks and snowplows. Once the repairs are complete, and insurance checks are received and distributed, they will be sent for review by FEMA.

The Sugar Plum project is ready for the bid process to begin. The project is being divided into forced labor, debris removal, playground equipment (including the portion of the fence to be repaired) and drainage culvert.

The board discussed mitigating the playground equipment and drainage culvert. To mitigate these items with FEMA, pre-disaster design specifications (as is) and post-disaster design specifications will have to be submitted to FEMA. The drainage culvert will be mitigated to a concrete box culvert from the galvanized culvert.

The playground equipment can be mitigated with different flooring and sunshades as the trees in the park have been removed to prevent future damage from them falling onto the equipment.

Seymour said the water plant has roof damage, and the board discussed mitigation to add hurricane straps and roof decking. By mitigating the project, FEMA would cover up to 75% of insurance reimbursement. The board voted to mitigate the projects.

Seymour said to mitigate the repairs to the street department buildings (this involves six buildings) FEMA will need the scope of work prior to the board’s decision as to the type of project it will be. It could be an alternative, alternate or improvement project.

If the board decides to add all of the buildings together, FEMA will issue a reimbursement and the city can rebuild without any additional input from FEMA. If the city can upgrade to two buildings, the new structures will encompass the total square footage of all the structures destroyed.

One building would house the trash trucks, mosquito sprayers and chemicals for health reasons.

Dexter City Administrator Dave Wyman said the shop building would include an office, and two bathrooms, and be 18,000 square feet. Wyman has been working with S.H. Smith & Company regarding the water and street building repairs.

The board voted to establish the scope of work and the cost of putting the buildings back pre-disaster and mitigation. The board also decided to establish the cost of merging the buildings and submit it to FEMA.

The board also mitigated the replacement of the culvert at Sugar Plum Park which was destroyed. City Engineer Rich Cochran is working on the hydraulic study for FEMA.

The board voted to mitigate the Sugar Plum Park playground equipment. The floor of the equipment sets and sunshades can be upgraded.

Dexter Mayor Mark Snider dismissed the department heads. Cato then distributed financial reports to the aldermen and reviewed them. When the review of the financial reports was completed, the meeting adjourned.