News File Photo Contractors working on a water tower in Alpena Township repel down from the structure on some scaffolding in this May 2023 News archive photo.

A civil trial over the rates Alpena Township pays Alpena for water and sewer services is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m. April 3 in 26th Circuit Court in Alpena.

The trial could mark the beginning of the end of a decade-long fight between the two governments.

Alpena Township, which buys water and sewer services from the city to provide those services to many of its residents, has refused to pay rate increases instituted by the city because township officials believe the city should treat the township as a wholesale customer because of the volume of water the township purchases from the city.

Multiple rounds of mediation and a trip to the Michigan Court of Appeals have failed to yield a deal and talks toward the formation of a new water-sewer authority to oversee operations for both governments fell apart last year.