Alpena Township leaders and residents have some important decisions to make.
An ad hoc committee exploring township firefighting and emergency medical services has determined it would cost $800,000 next budget year to fully fund the Alpena Township Fire Department.
That’s about $300,000 more than is raised per year by a township property tax earmarked for firefighting and EMS operations, committee members determined. The difference between the fire department cost and what’s raised by the tax would have to come out of the township’s general fund, but general fund subsidization of the fire department was among the reasons township leaders recently proposed consolidating its fire department with Alpena’s.