Justin Breyer Reflects on a Decade in Dexter City Government

A decade of leadership: Justin Breyer shares insights on Dexter’s growth, financial stability, and community improvements.

Dexter City Manager Justin Breyer celebrated his tenth anniversary in the Dexter government in January, reflecting on a decade of leadership, growth, and community development.

A Journey to Dexter

Justin Breyer arrived in Dexter a decade ago, bringing with him a portfolio of experience from the City of Troy and a master’s degree in public administration from Oakland University. “In mid to late 2014, I applied for the assistant to the city manager position here in Dexter,” he recalls. “I actually applied when we were still a village, but my start date was January 5, 2015, after we became a city.”

Breyer described his early days in Dexter as a time of transition. “It was a really interesting time because we were smack dab in the middle of the changes that go along with cityhood,” he says. “Changing out signage, bringing elections in-house from the townships, working to recruit an assessor, and figuring out all of the requirements that go along with those things.”

From Assistant to City Manager

Initially hired as an assistant to the city manager, Breyer soon took on additional responsibilities. “In early spring of 2017, my title officially changed to city clerk and assistant to the city manager,” says Breyer. “We found that it was really helpful to have the clerk be a full-time employee in the office.”

After the 2020 election, the city manager position opened up. And after a full recruitment process, Breyer officially became Dexter’s city manager in July 2021.

Navigating Growth and Challenges

Reflecting on the city’s evolution, Breyer noted Dexter’s financial stability and infrastructure improvements. “Before I started, in the ’80s and ’90s, Dexter was struggling financially,” Breyer says. “We had to take out significant loans for water and sewer improvements because the state required us to. Our general fund had almost nothing in terms of fund balance.”

Thanks to long-term leadership and fiscal discipline, Dexter’s financial health improved significantly. “Two managers before me, Donna Dettling and Courtney Nicholls, put in a lot of the work, along with Marie Sherry, our finance director,” he says. “I’ve really been the beneficiary of that and hope to keep that going.”

New Facilities and Infrastructure

One of the most visible changes under Breyer’s tenure was the move to a new City Hall. “When I started, we were on the second floor of the PNC Bank downtown,” recalls Breyer. “After 20 years in that space, in 2021, we toured 3515 Broad Street and made the purchase. We started renovations in 2022 and moved in March of 2023.”

Another major milestone was the long-debated fire station project. “I always say that it was a twenty to thirty-year conversation that we were able to button up finally last year,” he says. “In 2022, voters approved the bond, and city council made the decision to keep the station at 8140 Main.”

Parks, Trails, and Community Enhancements

Breyer’s time in Dexter also saw significant improvements to parks and recreation. “When I started, I was the staff liaison to the Parks and Recreation Commission,” he says. “One of the goals was to have a playground somewhere in the middle of town. We worked with the schools to get Lions Park, aka the blue playground, developed in 2016.”

More recently, Dexter secured a major grant for playground improvements. “Almost 10 years later, we just got a $400,000 grant through the MDNR Trust Fund program to renovate the Mill Creek Park North playground,” Breyer shares. “That’s going to be coming up here in the next year or so.”

Breyer also helped advance Dexter’s trail network. “Before I started, the village had been working on developing our portion of the Border-to-Border Trail through town,” he says. “We were able to construct the portion that goes from Central Street out to Dexter-Huron Metro Park.”

Trail expansion efforts continued in 2019 and 2020 with Mill Creek Park Phase Two. “That trail runs from Mill Creek Park behind the cemetery, along the creek, and comes out onto Baker near Creekside Intermediate School,” he explains. “The long-term goal is to extend it to Shield Road.”

Looking to the Future

As Dexter moves forward, Breyer remains focused on financial sustainability and community growth. “How do we, as a city, keep that history of strong financial success going?” he asks. “Finances drive everything. We could provide many services, but it’s all a matter of resource allocation.”

“Our goal is to provide the services that the residents of Dexter demand and want and to have money to provide those services,” continues Breyer. “Hopefully, when the residents of Dexter look at the services and taxes they pay, they feel that they’re getting a good value.”

Staffing remains a priority as well. “We’ve had a lot of really good, dedicated staff that I want to recognize,” he says. “Since I’ve taken over, a lot of retirements are starting to hit, and so I’ve spent a lot of my time focused on building the team, filling vacancies, and planning for upcoming retirements.”

Looking ahead, Breyer sees continued progress. “Nothing stays status quo,” he observes. “So the focus is on how we keep improving and growing as a community.”