News Photo by Julie Riddle Firefighter/paramedic Jeff King dons fire gear to practice working with equipment at the Alpena Public Safety Facility on Friday.

ALPENA — The Alpena Township Board of Trustees is mulling a 15-year contract with Alpena for fire and emergency response services.

A draft of the contract is in the public packet for Monday’s meeting on the township’s website.

In it, it states the Alpena Fire Department “shall become the ‘township fire department’ as well for the purposes of millage language used to fund fire protection in the township.”

A dollar amount for the service is not stated in the draft contract and will be a point of bargaining if the township intends to move forward with the city.

The township has been seeking a resolution to a staffing shortage at its fire department as well as financial concerns.

A six-month contract with the city to operate one of the township’s two stations is slated to expire on July 1. The township is also considering increasing its own staff and restructuring the department from top to bottom.

In the draft proposal, it says the city will man both the north and south stations with two firefighter paramedics, an advanced life support ambulance to both stations and also incorporate paid-on-call employees on emergencies in the township and Alpena.

The township currently utilizes the paid-on-call responders, and they will have priority of joining the city staff.

Intergovernmental Agreement for Fire Department Organizational and Response Services by James Andersen on Scribd

In the proposed deal, a fire task force would be formed and meet as needed. It would consist of Township Supervisor Nathan Skibbe and a trustee as well as Alpena Mayor Matt Waligora, City Manager Rachel Smolinski, and Alpena Fire Chief Bill Forbush, who would be a non-voting member.

Even with the task forces established, the deal does not create an authority, where a separate entity from the city and township is formed.

“This would not be an authority or a merger,” Forbush said. “It would be the township closing its department and the city offering its services with the contract.”

Skibbe said on Friday that the proposed contract is not a done deal, but just another step in the process of finding a solution to the issue.

He said before any agreement is signed, a special meeting will be scheduled where there would be an extensive question and answer session.

The proposed deal closely resembles one pitched in November that ignited some backlash from residents and caused both municipalities to step back from it.

As the staffing shortage increased, the township asked the city for temporary assistance and the six-month service agreement was signed.

Monday’s township meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the township office. Links to watch and participate digitally are posted on the township’s website.