North Shore Fire board asks Shorewood to cover 2026 increase; department cites steep vehicle costs and rising demand for ambulance service

Chief Whitaker and fire department staff presented current North Shore Fire Department budget plans to the Shorewood board on Sept. 15, saying the department’s proposed municipal contribution for 2026 is a 3% increase over 2025. Whitaker said municipal contributions constitute about 78% of the department’s budget; Shorewood’s share of the municipal contribution was presented as $2,613,000 on the draft. The department uses an intergovernmental agreement formula that factors equalized value, population and five‑year averaged calls for service to apportion costs among the seven member municipalities. The chief described a long‑range capital challenge: fire engines, ladder trucks and ambulances have risen significantly in price over recent years (Whitaker provided example ranges: pumpers roughly $500,000 → $1,000,000; ladder trucks from about $950,000 → nearly $2,000,000; ambulances from $270,000 → $430,000) while manufacturer lead times have stretched — Whitaker said engines that used to arrive in about a year now take about four years, requiring earlier ordering and multiyear capital planning. Whitaker said demand for response has climbed roughly 40% over the last decade and that the department is approaching a tipping point where an additional ambulance crew (about eight full‑time equivalents) would be needed to maintain service levels; he said revenue options under study include fee‑for‑service increases and pending state decisions on Medicaid reimbursement that could provide one‑time offset funding. On budget timing, Whitaker said the fire board would meet Sept. 30 and municipalities face an Oct. 1 adoption deadline for the department budget. He cautioned that health‑insurance renewals for the department are still being finalized and that wage increases negotiated with the firefighters’ union are proposed at 3.25%. Trustees asked operational questions about call volume drivers, when a second ambulance crew would be required, and why two units sometimes respond to the same call; Whitaker explained dispatch triage and said higher‑acuity incidents require larger crews. Trustees did not take a formal vote on the fire budget at the village meeting; municipalities must act on their contributions under the IGA timeframe. Ending: The fire department will finalize its budget at its Sept. 30 meeting; Shorewood staff will incorporate the final municipal share into the village’s 2026 budget negotiations.