diff --git a/.env b/.env
deleted file mode 100644
index f81200f..0000000
--- a/.env
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-SERVER_IMAGE_TAG=2024-09-18--07-00
diff --git a/.env.repoTags b/.env.repoTags
deleted file mode 100644
index 00905fb..0000000
--- a/.env.repoTags
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG=2024-09-19--00-34
diff --git a/.env.tags b/.env.tags
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..02f98b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.tags
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+NOTEBOOK_IMAGE_TAG=2024-09-18--11-32
+FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG=2024-09-15--09-41
+SERVER_IMAGE_TAG=2024-09-18--07-00
diff --git a/.github/workflows/image_build_push.yml b/.github/workflows/image_build_push.yml
index f79328c..76ce6fb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/image_build_push.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/image_build_push.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ name: docker-image-push-public-dash
 on:
   push:
     branches: [ main, cleanup-cicd ]
-    
+
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
       docker_image_tag:
@@ -24,22 +24,19 @@ jobs:
     - name: Set docker image tags
       id: set-tags
       run: |
-        set -a; source .env; set +a
+        set -a; source .env.tags; set +a
+        echo "NOTEBOOK_IMAGE_TAG=${NOTEBOOK_IMAGE_TAG}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        echo "FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG=${FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
         echo "DOCKER_TAG_FROM_PUSH=${SERVER_IMAGE_TAG}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
         echo "DOCKER_TAG_FROM_WORKFLOW_DISPATCH=${{ github.event.inputs.docker_image_tag }}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
-    - name: Set docker image tag from .env.repoTags file
-      id: set-frontend-tag
-      run: |
-        set -a; source .env.repoTags; set +a
-        echo "FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG=${FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-
-    - name: Print input docker image tag
+    - name: Print input docker image tags
       run: |
         echo "Event name: ${{ github.event_name }}"
+        echo "Current notebook image tag (push): ${{ steps.set-tags.outputs.NOTEBOOK_IMAGE_TAG }}"
+        echo "Current frontend image tag (push): ${{ steps.set-tags.outputs.FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG }}"
         echo "Latest docker image tag (push): ${{ steps.set-tags.outputs.DOCKER_TAG_FROM_PUSH }}"
         echo "Latest docker image tag (workflow_dispatch): ${{ steps.set-tags.outputs.DOCKER_TAG_FROM_WORKFLOW_DISPATCH }}"
-        echo "Current frontend image tag (push): ${{ steps.set-frontend-tag.outputs.FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG }}"
 
     - name: docker login
       run: | # log into docker hub account
@@ -75,34 +72,37 @@ jobs:
         fi
         docker push $DOCKER_USER/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY#*/}_notebook:${GITHUB_REF##*/}_${{ steps.date.outputs.date }}
 
-    - name: Update .env file 
+    - name: Update .env.tags file 
       run: |
+        echo "NOTEBOOK_IMAGE_TAG=${{ steps.date.outputs.date }}" > .env.tags
         if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" == "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
-          echo "Workflow_dispatch: New server image built and pushed, Updating image tag in .env"
-          echo "SERVER_IMAGE_TAG=${{ steps.set-tags.outputs.DOCKER_TAG_FROM_WORKFLOW_DISPATCH }}" > .env
+          echo "Workflow_dispatch: New server image built and pushed; update server image tag; reuse existing frontend image tag"
+          echo "FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG=${{ steps.set-tags.outputs.FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG }}" >> .env.tags
+          echo "SERVER_IMAGE_TAG=${{ steps.set-tags.outputs.DOCKER_TAG_FROM_WORKFLOW_DISPATCH }}" >> .env.tags
         else
-          echo "Push event: New frontend image built and pushed, Updating image tag in .env.repoTags"
-          echo "FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG=${{ steps.date.outputs.date }}" > .env.repoTags
+          echo "Push event: Reuse existing server image tag"
+          echo "FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG=${{ steps.date.outputs.date }}" >> .env.tags
+          echo "SERVER_IMAGE_TAG=${{ steps.set-tags.outputs.DOCKER_TAG_FROM_PUSH }}" >> .env.tags
         fi
   
-    - name: Add, Commit, Push changes to .env file
+    - name: Add, Commit, Push changes to .env.tags file
       run: |
         git config --local user.email "action@github.com"
-        git config --local user.name "Github Actions bot to update .env with latest tags"
+        git config --local user.name "Github Actions bot to update .env.tags with latest tags"
         if git diff --quiet; then
-          echo "Latest timestamps already present in .env files, no changes to commit"
+          echo "Latest timestamp already present in .env.tags file, no changes to commit"
         else
-          git add .env .env.repoTags
-          git commit -m "Updated docker image tags in .env files to the latest timestamps"
+          git add .env.tags
+          git commit -m "Updated docker image tags in .env.tags file to the latest timestamp"
           git push origin 
         fi
    
-    - name: Create tag files
+    - name: Create artifact text files
       run: |
         if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" == "push" ]; then
           echo ${{ steps.date.outputs.date }} > frontend_tag_file.txt
         else
-          echo ${{ steps.set-frontend-tag.outputs.FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG }} > frontend_tag_file.txt
+          echo ${{ steps.set-tags.outputs.FRONTEND_IMAGE_TAG }} > frontend_tag_file.txt
         fi
         echo ${{ steps.date.outputs.date }} > notebook_tag_file.txt
         echo "Created tag text files"