Excerpts:

The Dexter Village Council approved a motion to grant Northern United Brewing Co., parent company of Jolly Pumpkin, a tax break.

The tax exemption is for investments the company is making to its new brewing facility at 2319 Bishop Circle East.

The Industrial Facilities Tax Exemption will apply for six years for roughly $1.57 million in real property and seven years for an estimated $1.6 million in personal property. This is money that Tony Grant, the company’s chief financial officer, said is being invested into the new facility.

“We’re buying new equipment,” he said. “We’re retrofitting the space and making the investment.”

According to Grant, Northern United Brewing Co. currently has two brewing facilities. “We currently operate a facility in Dexter and Traverse City,” he said.

The facility in Dexter has brewed the line of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales and the facility in Traverse city has brewed the line of North Peak beers. Due to demand exceeding production, Grant said “we’re consolidating both of our production facilities into this new facility.”

No members of the council spoke against the motion during the public hearing, nor did any residents. Council Trustee Jim Carson said the company’s investment in Dexter would be good for the community.

In other business:

… Victor Michaels, 3649 Cushing Court, asked the council to reconsider its attitude toward the fluoride in the city water, which he called a poison that lowers intellectual aptitude and causes health problems.

“There might be something to look at quite seriously about fluoride and water and the amounts,” he said. “We know that they’ve already changed the rules a couple times downward and we know this stuff is bad.”

Michaels asked the council to take greater efforts to inform the public of the dangers of fluoride, and that infants may be especially susceptible to its effects. “I would think we would need to put a notice on our water bills that (baby) formula should not be mixed with water from Dexter,” he said..

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