Akron council approves $29 hourly raise for police officer, debates fire billing and equipment needs

The Village of Akron Council on April 21 approved a pay increase for a police officer and debated how to handle billing and equipment needs for the fire department.

During the police report, the presenting officer, D. Danielson, told the council, "I would like to request a wage increase for J. Holsapple in the amount of $29.00 per hour." Council member M. Strasz moved to approve the raise; J. Carr seconded the motion, which passed 4-0.

The vote followed a broader public-safety update in which Chief M. Hasso reported eight fire runs in March and described a recent call for a CO2 alarm that required firefighters to check and reset equipment. Chief Hasso said he did not believe the village should be charged the full out-of-village rate for that incident. Council members countered that treating similar calls inconsistently could create problems and decided the CO2 call would be billed like other responses outside the village limits. The council did not adopt a new written billing policy at the meeting.

Chief Hasso also raised concerns about aging fire trucks and showed photos of possible replacements for council consideration. He said that if Wisner returns certain sections to the department, the village could obtain a boat from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at no cost, though council members noted there could still be maintenance or integration costs and asked for further review.

The council and department leaders discussed whether changing pay for volunteer firefighters from hourly to per-call compensation might reduce costs, but no motion was made on that staffing structure during the meeting.

The council approved the wage increase and directed staff to continue reviewing fire apparatus replacement options and billing practices. No purchases were authorized at the April 21 meeting.