AP Photo In a photo provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the state in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021.

ALPENA TOWNSHIP — Alpena Township trustees on Monday passed a resolution calling on the Legislature to limit what they called an abuse of executive power on the part of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The resolution, presented to the Alpena Township Board of Trustees by Trustee Russ Rhynard, states that the threat from the coronavirus pandemic “has resulted in a thwarting of constitutional liberties and personal freedoms” at the expense of the economic, emotional, and educational well-being of township residents.

Directives by Whitmer, first via executive orders and then issued through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, “eroded constitutional rights of citizens and have placed undue burdens and restrictions on local businesses, local employees, and the citizens of the Township,” the resolution reads.

The document asks the Legislature to limit Whitmer’s “unchecked exercise and abuse of executive power.” It also calls on residents and businesses of Alpena Township to act responsibly toward others while determining what is best for their own health.

During a public comment session, one speaker, township resident Bruce Wozniak, advised the board against passing what he called a politically charged resolution. A recent jump in COVID-19 numbers — 35 new infected Northeast Michigan residents were reported on Monday — suggested a need to tone down the rhetoric against state regulations to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Wozniak said.

The resolution passed unanimously and will be forwarded to the governor and state lawmakers on behalf of the township.

In other business:

The Alpena Township Board of Trustees on Monday also:

∫ voted to allow the township fire department to hire Matt Benedict — a former member of the department’s cadet program now serving as a paid-on-call responder for the township — as a full-time staff member. The addition of Benedict, along with new hire Luke Meissner, who started as a full-time fire department employee last week, will allow Chief Dave Robbins to return to a regular shift and focus more attention on hiring, Robbins told The News. Robbins has been covering shifts at the township’s South Side station while the township tried to fill several vacant full-time positions.

∫ agreed to gather options for funding or restructuring its fire department and present them to the public for comment. No date was set for those public comment sessions. Currently, the Alpena Fire Department is contracted to provide some emergency services to the township during a township staffing shortage. The board agreed that reaching a conclusion about the best option for its fire department before the contract with the city expires on June 30 is highly unlikely.

∫ agreed to take steps to remove a recently opened women’s sobriety house. The building, a house in a residential area providing safe housing for women transitioning out of addiction rehab, is not zoned for such uses, the trustees noted. If the sobriety house’s owner refuses to move to another location, legal action should be taken to have her removed, the trustees decided.

∫ Township Supervisor Nathan Skibbe suggested the board consider allowing marijuana dispensaries within the township — an option he said could net the township $33,000 in annual revenue per license. Trustee Russ Rhynard noted that the drug is legal in Michigan, making the decision whether to permit it a moral issue. Rhynard added that the increased legal costs of prosecuting drugged driving incidents may outweigh income to the township from licenses. The topic was tabled.