ALPENA — The Alpena County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee recommended Wednesday that the full county board approve a 2020 agreement with Michigan State University Extension.

The agreement is for $46,462. MSU Extension received $40,000 from the county’s Youth and Recreation millage for the county’s 4H program, so the county’s general fund will only pay the $6,462 next year.

“Every year, we ask each county to sign the memorandum of agreement with us,” Adam Koivisto, district director for MSU Extension, said Wednesday.

Koivisto said contract costs went up 3% across the state.

Last year, the agreement with Alpena County was for $45,109.

The committee also recommended the full board approve $7,000 to activate 800-megahertz police and emergency radios the county has already purchased.

Mark Hall, emergency services coordinator for the county, said the county has 28 radios and it will cost $250 to activate each radio.

“It’s similar to your cell phone,” Hall said. “Once you get it on the system, then I program them, and then we can get them out in the field so that communication improves for the first responders.”

He said there will be radios for Alpena, Long Rapids, Maple Ridge, Green, and Sanborn townships, and Hubbard Lake. He said that will cover all of Alpena County.

The committee also held off allocating $2,000 to the Northeast Michigan Trap-Neuter-Return Program, which works to neuter feral and stray cats in the area to prevent the population from spreading.

Alpena County Commissioner Bill Peterson said the request will be discussed when the county completes its 2020 budget.

Julie Goldberg can be reached at 989-358-5688 or jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com. Follow her on Twitter @jkgoldberg12.