News photo by Josh Jambor Pictured is the Alpena Township Civic Building located on U.S.-23 North. The path the Alpena Township Board of Trustees will take to fund the fire department remains uncertain, however, the current millage does not expire until 2027, allowing the board to further evaluate its options.

ALPENA – The Alpena Township Board of Trustees continues to ponder what route they will take to possibly fund the township’s fire department. In recent months the board has tabled discussions multiple times regarding a proposed millage increase and a potential special assessment to allow more time to gather information.

The current fire protection millage of 1.4953-mills, established in August 2018, is set to expire at the end of 2027. With previous voter proposals failing, township leaders are weighing options to address ongoing budget shortfalls and staffing challenges.

A special assessment district (SAD) under Michigan’s Police and Fire Protection Act (PA 33 of 1951) has emerged as a key backup option. This would impose a dedicated charge on properties in a defined district for fire services (staff, equipment, operations) without requiring a voter referendum, though it needs public hearings, notices, and petitions. It could replace or supplement a millage and provide more adjustable revenue.

The board’s April 27 meeting highlighted the time crunch township officials face. May 12 was the deadline to submit language for any millage proposal on the August primary ballot. Township Supervisor Abbi Kaszubowski reported that information needed for a special assessment, such as how to equitably divide districts, remains incomplete, with the township attorney still reviewing details and the assessor working on property breakdowns.

Kaszubowski provided an update to The News on where the decision-making process currently stands as it relates to pursuing a millage or a special assessment.

“Determining implementation of a public safety special assessment versus a traditional millage rate is not simply a financial decision, it is an educational one,” Kaszubowski said. “True leadership requires understanding not only tax structures and funding mechanisms, but also the unpredictable day-to-day realities a fire department faces: emergency call volumes, equipment replacement, staffing demands, training standards, inflation, and the growing expectations of public safety.”

“We are still working on developing the various districts for a special assessment and doing our best to assess in a fair and equitable way,” Kaszubowski added. “It takes time to evaluate each parcel. We do not have an exceedingly tight timeframe to abide by at this point.”

Alpena Township’s fire department is currently funded by the 1.4953-mills levy established in August of 2018, which expires at the end of 2027. Officials have projected ongoing shortfalls and used creative budgeting, such as drawing from fund balances and general fund surpluses, to balance the budget temporarily.

“If we choose to go for a millage, we can put it on the November ballot and if we choose to do a special assessment, we have plenty of time to do that,” Kaszubowski explained. “We will still be collecting on the current millage for 2026 and 2027.”

The News previously quoted Township Fire Chief Tim Baker saying that the existing millage “no longer generates sufficient revenue to adequately fund the current and future needs of our department” due to significantly increased costs for equipment, personnel, and operations.

The township is considering a “remove and replace” millage to sunset the existing 1.4953-mills fire levy and replace it with a higher rate. Discussions have referenced a 3.475-mills millage for four years to cover operations, equipment, and staffing. For a $100,000 home (with roughly half that in taxable value), the proposed rate could increase the cost for property owners to approximately $174 annually, though final figures are pending board approval.

Previous attempts at a 3-mills millage increase failed at the polls, including one vote that was rejected during the August 2022 primary election by a vote of 1,446 to 1,191. This prompted the exploration of alternatives.

Josh Jambor can be reached at jjambor@thealpenanews.com.