News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena Township Fire Chief Mark Hansen sorts through a bag of supplies while at work in this February 2023 News file photo.

ALPENA — The Alpena Township Board of Trustees has some cuts to make to reduce a projected large deficit from its public safety budget, which includes the Township Fire Department.

During a special budget meeting Tuesday, the trustees made some minor cuts, but the projected deficit of about $321,295 is above what the local millage provides in revenue.

For this year’s budget cycle, the township’s budget should wind up in the neighborhood of about $1.7 million each for revenues and expenses, Township Supervisor Nathan Skibbe said.

Township Fire Chief Mark Hansen presented a proposed budget with revenues estimated at about $670,000 and expenses at about $1.2 million.

Skibbe said having such a large allocation from the general fund to match expenses and revenues is not possible this fiscal year.

The township’s budget runs from April 1 through March 31.

“The general fund can’t shoulder that,” Skibbe said. “That is the truth of the situation. Some critical conversations are oncoming.”

In Hansen’s proposed budget, he proposed a 3% wage increase for the full-time staff, and possibly a 10% rate hike for the paid on-call responders. He also proposed a $1,000 raise for himself.

The board tackled some minor cuts to things like office supplies and gas and oil, but larger cuts are likely waiting in the wings. Cuts that were debated between the board and Hansen will be discussed further at an upcoming fire committee meeting, which will be scheduled soon.

Hansen said he increased the amount in some of the line items from last year because the cost of nearly everything continues to climb.

“You’re looking at between 15 and 20% across the board,” he said.

The 1.5 mill tax the township collects for fire operations now equates to about $75 a year for the owner of a $100,000 house and the tax runs through 2027.

Last year residents voted against a three mill increase that would have supplemented the department and taken pressure away from the general fund.

The fire department has been a focus of budgetary concern for more than two years after it was severely understaffed.

The Alpena Fire Department was hired to help with operations for six months in 2021 and the township approached the city seeking services on a larger scale.

The Township board voted 4-3 against entering into the proposed contract with the city to handle all day-to-day operations at the two stations late in June of the same year and the board has been unable to come up with a clear and affordable path forward since.

Some on the board would like to try to form a fire authority, but earlier this year, the township received little to no interest from nearby municipalities when they sent out a letter of interest.