Delafield council backs key terms of Lake Country Fire & Rescue deal, seeks final legal fixes

The Delafield Common Council on Oct. 6 voted to endorse three core elements of a proposed amendment to the Lake Country Fire & Rescue (LCFR) intermunicipal agreement while leaving detailed legal language to city attorneys.

The council said it supports the draft funding-formula changes, insisted that the existing two-year withdrawal clause remain in place so municipalities can give notice and exit by Dec. 31, 2027, and backed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that calls for hiring three full-time firefighter/paramedic positions per year over four years (12 hires total) while maintaining existing station staffing.

The decisions matter because the IMA and linked MOU would change how participating municipalities share costs and governance of LCFR and address chronic “brownout” staffing problems the city has raised. Council members and the city attorney said substantial legal cleanup remains before a final vote, and they asked partners and counsel to resolve remaining drafting issues.

Tom (staff member) told the council the draft now includes the two-year exit clause the city wanted and that the MOU couples a multi-year hiring plan with the revised funding formula. “The memorandum of understanding addresses the hiring of 3 additional firefighters each year for the next 4 years,” he said. That hiring plan is the primary new expense embedded in the proposal.

Attorney Kathy Gutenkunst cautioned the council that the draft IMA contains ambiguous and binding provisions if left as written. “Once the fire board approves 6 with 6 out of 7 votes … we’re locked in and can’t get out,” she said, arguing the agreement as drafted could bind Delafield to annual increases without the council’s ability to reject them. Gutenkunst recommended continuing negotiations to specify budgeting and voting thresholds.

Council members debated thresholds on the fire board and commission, noting differences between requiring unanimous support and a 6-of-7 threshold for certain actions, and discussed protections against the board binding municipalities to loans or unbudgeted expenditures. Participants also noted LCFR’s proposed baseline annual increases: a guaranteed 2.5% base increase was described in the draft as something municipalities could not block, while any increase above that would still require municipal approval.

A motion — as read into the record by city staff with legal assistance — asked the council to: (1) support the formula adjustments set forth in the draft IMA; (2) stand by a two-year term with expiration 12/31/2027; and (3) support the MOU calling for three hires per year over four years. The motion was seconded and passed; council members said they expect a final IMA and attachments at the next meeting for formal adoption.

The council and staff said they will continue working with partner municipalities and their attorneys; the mayor said the city is open to a special meeting if partners resolve issues before the next regular meeting.

Next steps: staff and the city attorney will return to council with a cleaned-up IMA/MOU for final approval. The council emphasized it had not yet adopted final contract language and left several drafting points — including voting thresholds and specific budget safeguards — open for legal resolution.