diff --git a/.github/jobs/get_met_base_image.sh b/.github/jobs/get_met_base_image.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..1e7efed80c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/jobs/get_met_base_image.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#! /bin/bash
+
+# set constants for the MET base repository names (regular and unit test)
+MET_BASE_REPO_NAME=met-base
+MET_BASE_UNIT_REPO_NAME=met-base-unit-test
+
+# set MET base repo to regular repo by default for compilation check
+met_base_repo=${MET_BASE_REPO_NAME}
+
+# default MET base tag
+met_base_tag=13.0
+
+# override the MET base tag if set
+if [[ -n "${met_base_tag_override}" ]]; then
+  met_base_tag=${met_base_tag_override}
+fi
+
+# if running unit tests, use unit_test MET base image
+if [[ -n "${RUN_UNIT_TESTS}" && "${RUN_UNIT_TESTS}" == "true" ]]; then
+  met_base_repo=${MET_BASE_UNIT_REPO_NAME}
+fi
+
+# add -dev to the MET base repo if the tag does not start with a number
+# this assumes that met-base and met-base-unit-test tags start with a number and
+# development tags, e.g. branch names, do not
+if [[ ! ${met_base_tag} =~ ^[0-9] ]]; then
+  met_base_repo=${met_base_repo}-dev
+fi
+
+echo "met_base_repo=${met_base_repo}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+echo "met_base_tag=${met_base_tag}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+echo met_base_repo: $met_base_repo
+echo met_base_tag: $met_base_tag
diff --git a/.github/jobs/set_job_controls.sh b/.github/jobs/set_job_controls.sh
index 8a998711db..8d9365f6f7 100755
--- a/.github/jobs/set_job_controls.sh
+++ b/.github/jobs/set_job_controls.sh
@@ -8,23 +8,6 @@ run_update_truth=false
 input_data_version=develop
 truth_data_version=develop
 
-# set constants for the MET base repository names (regular and unit test)
-MET_BASE_REPO_NAME=met-base
-MET_BASE_UNIT_REPO_NAME=met-base-unit-test
-
-# set MET base repo to regular repo by default for compilation check
-met_base_repo=${MET_BASE_REPO_NAME}
-
-# default MET base tag
-# TODO: Change 3.4 back to 3.5 after solving TC-Diag failure
-met_base_tag=3.4-latest
-
-# override the MET base tag if set
-if [[ -n "${met_base_tag_override}" ]]; then
-    met_base_tag=${met_base_tag_override}
-fi
-
-
 if [ "${GITHUB_EVENT_NAME}" == "pull_request" ]; then
     
   # only run diff logic if pull request INTO 
@@ -134,30 +117,18 @@ if [ "$run_update_truth" == "true" ] ||
 
 fi
 
-# if running unit tests, use unit_test MET base image and push image
+# if running unit tests, push the image
 if [ "$run_unit_tests" == "true" ]; then
 
-  # set MET base repo to the unit test version to get the test tools
-  met_base_repo=${MET_BASE_UNIT_REPO_NAME}
-
   run_push=true
 
 fi
 
-# add -dev to the MET base repo if the tag does not start with a number
-# this assumes that met-base and met-base-unit-test tags start with a number and
-# development tags, e.g. branch names, do not
-if [[ ! ${met_base_tag} =~ ^[0-9] ]]; then
-  met_base_repo=${met_base_repo}-dev
-fi
-
 echo "run_compile=${run_compile}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 echo "run_push=${run_push}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 echo "run_unit_tests=${run_unit_tests}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 echo "run_diff=${run_diff}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 echo "run_update_truth=${run_update_truth}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-echo "met_base_repo=${met_base_repo}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-echo "met_base_tag=${met_base_tag}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 echo "input_data_version=${input_data_version}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 echo "truth_data_version=${truth_data_version}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
@@ -166,10 +137,12 @@ echo run_push: $run_push
 echo run_unit_tests: $run_unit_tests
 echo run_diff: $run_diff
 echo run_update_truth: $run_update_truth
-echo met_base_repo: $met_base_repo
-echo met_base_tag: $met_base_tag
 echo input_data_version: $input_data_version
 echo truth_data_version: $truth_data_version
 
+# get the METbaseimage repository and tag
+export RUN_UNIT_TESTS=${run_unit_tests}
+.github/jobs/get_met_base_image.sh
+
 # get name of branch
 .github/jobs/get_branch_name.sh
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_docker_and_trigger_metplus.yml b/.github/workflows/build_docker_and_trigger_metplus.yml
index 4b76478869..f88260f2aa 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build_docker_and_trigger_metplus.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_docker_and_trigger_metplus.yml
@@ -31,12 +31,16 @@ jobs:
           username: ${{ vars.DOCKER_USERNAME }}
           password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_TOKEN }}
 
+      - name: Get METbaseimage
+        id: get_met_base_image
+        run: .github/jobs/get_met_base_image.sh
+
       - name: Build Docker Image
         run: .github/jobs/build_docker_image.sh
         env:
+          MET_BASE_REPO: ${{ steps.get_met_base_image.outputs.met_base_repo }}
+          MET_BASE_TAG: ${{ steps.get_met_base_image.outputs.met_base_tag }}
           SOURCE_BRANCH: ${{ steps.get_branch_name.outputs.branch_name }}-lite
-          MET_BASE_REPO: met-base
-          MET_BASE_TAG: 3.4-latest
 
       - name: Push Docker Image
         run: .github/jobs/push_docker_image.sh
diff --git a/.github/workflows/sonarqube.yml b/.github/workflows/sonarqube.yml
index 97e013bd85..8cdb407ce7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/sonarqube.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/sonarqube.yml
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ jobs:
       - name: Create output directories
         run: mkdir -p ${RUNNER_WORKSPACE}/logs
 
+      - name: Get METbaseimage
+        id: get_met_base_image
+        run: .github/jobs/get_met_base_image.sh
+
       - name: Get branch name
         id: get_branch_name
         run: echo branch_name=${GITHUB_REF#refs/heads/} >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
@@ -60,8 +64,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: SonarQube Scan in Docker
         run: .github/jobs/build_sonarqube_image.sh
         env:
-          MET_BASE_REPO: met-base
-          MET_BASE_TAG: 3.4-latest
+          MET_BASE_REPO: ${{ steps.get_met_base_image.outputs.met_base_repo }}
+          MET_BASE_TAG: ${{ steps.get_met_base_image.outputs.met_base_tag }}
           SOURCE_BRANCH: ${{ steps.get_branch_name.outputs.branch_name }}
           WD_REFERENCE_BRANCH: ${{ github.event.inputs.reference_branch }}
           SONAR_SCANNER_VERSION: 5.0.1.3006
diff --git a/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile b/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile
index e4572a2ddb..3c792d14b3 100644
--- a/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ARG MET_BASE_REPO=met-base
-ARG MET_BASE_TAG=3.4-latest
+ARG MET_BASE_TAG
 
 FROM dtcenter/${MET_BASE_REPO}:${MET_BASE_TAG}
 MAINTAINER John Halley Gotway <johnhg@ucar.edu>
diff --git a/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile.copy b/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile.copy
index 3d754088d0..104b6441d6 100644
--- a/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile.copy
+++ b/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile.copy
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ARG MET_BASE_REPO=met-base-unit-test
-ARG MET_BASE_TAG=3.4-latest
+ARG MET_BASE_TAG
 
 FROM dtcenter/${MET_BASE_REPO}:${MET_BASE_TAG}
 MAINTAINER John Halley Gotway <johnhg@ucar.edu>
diff --git a/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile.sonarqube b/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile.sonarqube
index e52b1ae4ba..6c98e46b01 100644
--- a/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile.sonarqube
+++ b/internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile.sonarqube
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ARG MET_BASE_REPO=met-base
-ARG MET_BASE_TAG=3.4-latest
+ARG MET_BASE_TAG
 
 FROM dtcenter/${MET_BASE_REPO}:${MET_BASE_TAG}
 MAINTAINER John Halley Gotway <johnhg@ucar.edu>
diff --git a/internal/scripts/docker/README.md b/internal/scripts/docker/README.md
index dae7fa5526..5e733ed144 100644
--- a/internal/scripts/docker/README.md
+++ b/internal/scripts/docker/README.md
@@ -25,13 +25,14 @@ Tagged versions of the MET Docker image are available in the
 [dtcenter/met](https://hub.docker.com/repository/docker/dtcenter/met-base)
 DockerHub repository.  
 ```
-docker build -t dtcenter/met:${TAG_NAME} --build-arg SOURCE_BRANCH=${BRANCH_NAME} internal/scripts/docker
+docker build -t dtcenter/met:${TAG_NAME} --build-arg SOURCE_BRANCH=${BRANCH_NAME} --build-arg MET_BASE_TAG=${MET_BASE_TAG} --build-arg internal/scripts/docker
 docker push dtcenter/met:${TAG_NAME}
 ```
 
 where:
 * `${TAG_NAME}` is the name of the DockerHub tag to create
 * `${BRANCH_NAME}` is the MET branch to checkout
+* `${MET_BASE_TAG}` is the version of [dtcenter/met-base-unit-test](https://hub.docker.com/repository/docker/dtcenter/met-base-unit-test) to be used
 
 2. The second example below shows how to manually build a MET Docker image
 using a specified branch or tag from local source code and using a local
@@ -44,26 +45,6 @@ compilation environment.) This example uses `Dockerfile.copy`, which compiles
 MET using the specified branch or tag from local source code, sets a working
 directory, and deletes the MET source for tagged releases matching "v"*.
 ```
-docker build -t dtcenter/met:${TAG_NAME} --build-arg SOURCE_BRANCH=${BRANCH_NAME} -f internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile.copy .
-docker push dtcenter/met:${TAG_NAME}
-```
-
-where:
-* `${TAG_NAME}` is the name of the DockerHub tag to create
-* `${BRANCH_NAME}` is the identifier to use for $MET_GIT_NAME inside image
-
-3. The third example below shows how to manually build a MET Docker image
-using a specified branch or tag from local source code and using a local
-Docker image for the base compilation environment along with the additional
-packages required for running the MET unit tests from the
-[METbaseimage](https://github.com/dtcenter/METbaseimage/)
-GitHub repository. (See the
-[METbaseimage README.md](https://github.com/dtcenter/METbaseimage/blob/main/README.md)
-file for more information on manually creating the Docker image with the base
-compilation environment and with the additional packages required for running
-the MET unit tests.) This example also uses `Dockerfile.copy`, which is
-described above.
-```
 docker build -t dtcenter/met:${TAG_NAME} --build-arg SOURCE_BRANCH=${BRANCH_NAME} --build-arg MET_BASE_TAG=${MET_BASE_TAG} -f internal/scripts/docker/Dockerfile.copy .
 docker push dtcenter/met:${TAG_NAME}
 ```
diff --git a/internal/scripts/docker/hooks/build b/internal/scripts/docker/hooks/build
deleted file mode 100644
index 5c801c7777..0000000000
--- a/internal/scripts/docker/hooks/build
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-docker build -t $IMAGE_NAME --build-arg SOURCE_BRANCH=$SOURCE_BRANCH .