If residents of Alpena Township want the fire department funded to the degree it needs, they may have to pass another millage to do so.

At Tuesday’s board of trustees meeting, the fire department ad hoc committee presented ideas on future staffing and how much staffing would cost.

It’s estimated it will cost about $800,000 for the 2021-22 budget year, which is about $300,000 over what the millage brings in.

If the proposed fire budget is approved, the general fund would need to make up the shortfall.

Over the last handful of weeks, the committee trimmed $30,000 from fire department line-items.

There are several ways the township could reshape the department.

It could keep offering the tier system it has currently, which is a mix of firefighter/EMT staffing, or it could employ firefighter/paramedics like the Alpena Fire Department does.

The paramedic option would come with a higher price tag, but would have emergency care benefits as well.

The committee recommended having seven full-time firefighter/EMTs, with paid, on-call responders providing support.

Trustee Steve Lappan said residents should determine what they want for service and what they agree to pay to have it provided.

“If the people want services, those services come with a cost,” Lappan said. “If we go for a millage, and it is voted down, and we have exhausted all other options, then we will have to move to Plan-B.”

Lappan indicated those Plan-B options could include forming a fire authority with other municipalities, reducing hours of operation, or seeking out consolidation opportunities.

Trustee Russ Rhynard is interested in a plan that would include paramedics. He said having a system similar to the city’s, is not a bad idea.

Currently the city is manning the township north station to help cover response during an employee shortage. It is providing paramedics for calls on the northern portion of the township.

The township has EMTs working at the south station, who respond to calls in that region and the city responds there too from its headquarters in Alpena to conduct transfers through the county-wide ambulance service contract it has with the county.

“Having a four-minute response time is nice, but give me someone who can give me the medicine I need and take me to the hospital, which an EMT can’t do,” Rhynard said. “That is what is going through my head. Let’s put together a plan, present it to the people and if they say no, we move on.”

Township residents approved 10-year renewal, for 1.5 mills for fire department operations, equipment, and training in August 2018. That millage will generate $506,243. A few months later they approved a 0.65-mill, five-year tax proposal to be used for new rescue vehicles and other needed equipment.

Chad Esch, a township resident who is on the ad hoc committee, said for a millage to have a chance, the relationship between the board of trustees, and members of the fire department need to be fixed.

Esch said if a vote for a millage happened today, he likely would not vote for it because of drama surrounding the issue.

“What bothers me is the lack of trust there is in both directions. It almost made me walk away because I can’t get an honest answer from either side,” Esch said. “It’s embarrassing.”

At this point a millage is only being considered, and there was no discussion about when it could be on the ballot or how much it would be for.

The board and committee did agree that a large public education effort would have to happen prior to any vote.

Township Clerk Michele Palevich said explaining some of the basic functions of the equipment and level of training of the employees is important.

“Most people don’t know the difference between an ALS ambulance and a BLS ambulance. They don’t know what an EMT does and what a paramedic does,” Palevich said. “We have to educate them about what they will get for their money.”