Dexter council votes to proceed with reconditioning of older water tower after engineer estimates

The Dexter City Council voted on Jan. 5 to proceed with reconditioning the city’s older water tower after receiving engineer cost estimates and discussing funding options. Mayor Justin Forthun and City Clerk Natalie A. Carroll reported on a meeting with KLM Engineering that produced an engineer estimate of approximately $675,000 for a full recondition (the estimate did not include an on‑site inspection). Bryan Petzel of ISG summarized a prior feasibility study that estimated roughly $1.5 million for alternatives that would upsize the water main and allow the city to rely on only the 100,000‑gallon tower.

Councilmember Diane O’Connor moved to proceed with the reconditioning work; Councilmember Christian Padilla seconded. The transcript records Tim Taylor voting no and Casey Erwin voting yes; the motion carried with a 3-to-1 recorded tally. The city clerk was instructed to contact KLM Engineering to begin the bid process.

Petzel also explained that a low-interest loan the city could pursue would cover only the cost of a feasibility study and not the cost of reconditioning the existing tower, a key factor in the council’s budget deliberations. Council members discussed the likely tax impact of both reconditioning and the larger mains‑upsizing alternatives before voting.

Next steps: the clerk will notify KLM to proceed with the bidding process; the council’s future actions will depend on bids, final engineering reports and decisions about financing.