Dexter officials have held a second town hall meeting as they discuss possible upgrades to several city facilities. Mayor Shawn Keough moderated the meeting that took place last week at the Dexter Library.

This was the second such town hall held, as City Council continues to explore options with needed upgrades to city offices, the fire station, and the sheriff substation. The mayor ran through an information packet that is available on the city’s website, which includes options under consideration, options no longer under consideration, city debt numbers, and potential tax increases that may be needed. According to the Sun Times News, Keough asked residents how comfortable they were spending $10-million of the $14-million the city has available for bonding.

The mayor gave his opinion that the city offices were in the worst state of the facilities in question, and that he wanted to start building a new one as soon as possible. Dexter Area Fire Chief Robert Smith said he believes the fire station is in line for a crisis if improvements there aren’t addressed. Responses from the public were mixed. One Dexter High School graduate from 40 years ago said they have been hearing about these improvements over the years, didn’t want to put them off any longer. Others wanted a more concrete vision before committing their tax dollars.

When asked about a timeline, Keough said that if they want to ask voters for bond money in November, ballot language needs to be finalized by City Council by their August 12th meeting. (MK)