HANCOCK — On Wednesday, the Hancock City Council and other community leaders held a city budget workshop in-person at city hall and via Zoom.

After roll call and a passed motion to move into the budget hearing, Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region (WUPPDR) Executive Director Jerry Wuorenmaa was first to present, discussing a number of projects that can be undertaken by the city with various grants and with funds from the Cares Act.

“Probably the biggest one is assisting with the EDA (Economic Development Association) application for the Business and Technology Park, which sounds almost 100% Now that it will be happening but working through some final issues there,” Wuorenmaa said.

“The other one is also an EDA project. Our Cares Act grant that funded a pandemic response and resiliency plan, and that includes an action plan out of about a dozen possible projects that WUPPDR can work on,” Wuorenmaa said.

With a large list of potential projects ahead, Wuorenmaa explained the process of how to start.

“I just put out a prioritization survey to all of our stakeholders who are involved last week, and I think I had 10 projects to rank as to what we get started with working on first,” he said.

WUPPDR currently has three projects selected they will begin with.

“And it looks like the initial three that WUPPDR is going to be working on for implementation of that are housing strategy, tourism study, and labor force assessment in connection with the pandemic impacts, so that’s going to be another big one for us,” said Wuorenmaa.

WUPPDR also looks to use other grants and partnerships for Hancock’s coastlines.

“Another recent grant that we’re working on with partner organizations is a National Science Foundation project for coastal resiliency, and we actually received phase one grant, just to put together an application for phase two,” Wuorenmaa said. “So far, there was a listening session with a lot of relevant organizations and communities to start learning about coastal hazard issues and concerns, and then the actual project is going to be modeling of data basically along the coastlines that’s not available right now.”

Police Chief Wayne Butler’s report consisted of basic housekeeping funds such as virtual police record storage, particularly regarding video storage. The costs of tape used for traffic citations, for example, was also mentioned. Chief Butler raised the possibility of introducing a cost-effective virtual interface that would save on tape for consideration.

Butler noted the electronic citation system would be an expensive initial purchase, but would be highly cost-effective over time.

Other expenses to the Hancock PD included medical supplies such as first aid and portable oxygen for medical response calls.

Butler’s list contained training and range costs, and mentioned a bullet shortage among the department’s problems.

After Butler’s budget presentation, Hancock City Council member Will Lytle asked the presenters if it would be possible to begin switching any vehicles to electric.

“That is, whether you feel that any part of your vehicles could be switched to electric vehicles, maybe not this year but in the next two to five years? Would it be possible for the department to use electric vehicles, and it doesn’t have to be the whole fleet, could you use one or two electric vehicles?” Lytle asked.

Butler stated that he began looking into the possibility of electric vehicles for the Hancock PD. Obtaining batteries and where to locate charging stations are also in his considerations.

Lytle also questioned whether or not there were certain services or duties that could be jointly managed with the Houghton Police Department within the next year.

Butler highlighted the mutual aid agreement currently between Hancock, the Houghton County Sheriff Department, and the Houghton PD. He noted the sharing of responsibilities and assistance each force provides to each other as well as sharing resources.

Hancock Fire Chief Bill Lepisto presented the fire department’s budget, which laid out the expenses spent on upkeep for the trucks; truck inspections, air filters, refueling, water for the trucks, and general servicing for the three trucks.

Lepisto also told the council that the department had a draft for an emergency generator for the fire hall, which would allow for continued light and water in the case of an emergency. The generator would ensure continued use for the firefighters, as well as for the community should there be a use for it.

Lytle questioned if the fire hall could use electric vehicles and solar panels, if they could be acquired through a grant.

Lepisto was unsure if electric fire trucks would be a viable option, and questioned whether they had the power to properly utilize water pumps. He also said he would be happy to explore the option, should they become available.

Cynthia Cote presented on behalf of the Copper Country Art Center (CAC) and led her report with the services the CAC provides to Hancock, such as working with local schools, putting on community art shows, and showcasing local art in their gallery.

Cote mentioned that a substantial amount of CAC funding comes from grants, including from the state level. The CAC also holds a number of fundraisers to help sustain itself. She ended by thanking the Council for their continued support and slightly increased funding to the CAC.

Bill Marlor for the Department of Public Works (DPW) discussed that the current task for DPW is sand removal from the streets, which he expects to go on for at least another month. Due to the uncharacteristically mild winter, sand removal began earlier this year.

Other DPW projects include replacing old street name signs, upkeep and replacing light posts, as well as service lines.

Marlor commented on the status of the DPW fleet of vehicles, and mentioned the possibility of upgrading the vehicles or replacing them with electric or hybrid vehicles within the next five years.

Larger projects for the DPW will include water and sewer projects, such as sanitary and storm sewer maintenance around the city.

Linda Kalinec, treasurer for Hancock, discussed some upgrades for city hall, particularly tech upgrades for the offices.

Within the next five years, the possibility of cameras throughout the city were mentioned.

The next budget workshop will be scheduled for May.