Delafield council debates Lake Country Fire and Rescue funding formula emphasizing call volume

The Delafield Common Council on May 5 moved to approve a revised Lake Country Fire and Rescue funding formula that assigns 60% weight to call volume, 20% to assessed value and 20% to population and phases out the fixed-base portion of both operations and capital funding over two years. The motion was made and seconded during open session after a closed session discussion; the transcript does not record a final roll-call vote.

The matter followed a closed session held under Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1)(e) for "deliberating or negotiating the purchase of public properties, investing of public funds or conducting other specified public business whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session," which the council said related to bargaining options arising from the Wisconsin Policy Forum Lake Country Fire and Rescue Funding Study. After the council returned to open session, a council member offered the motion to adopt the revised formula and another member seconded it.

The funding discussion built on a report to council earlier in the meeting about recent Lake Country Fire and Rescue finances and operations. "We had a meeting on the April 16," said Matt (role not specified), who summarized items from the April board meeting, including an anomaly in February revenue of about $100,000 and a drop in call volume from 220 to 188. Matt said the department will investigate billing practices to explain the shortfall.

That report also noted operational items under consideration, including whether the department should buy a sonar unit for dive-rescue searches or rely on an existing unit used by nearby departments, and a public-safety reminder about controlled burns and private contractors. "There was talk and discussion on our dive rescue teams potentially transitioning to sonar to better identify, for lack of a better word, bodies in the water," Matt said.

During the open-session discussion on the funding formula, several council members raised concerns about putting a large weight on call volume. One council member argued that heavy reliance on call-volume weighting could penalize municipalities that host senior and assisted-living facilities, saying that the formula could "discourage the communities from building these facilities or allowing these facilities into the communities." Another council member said staffing levels, not call count alone, drive costs.

The transcript records the motion and a second but does not include a subsequent roll-call tally, so the formal outcome is not recorded in the meeting text. The motion language presented to the council was: "Approve the revised Lake Country Fire and Rescue Funding Formula, which includes call volume at 60%, assessed value at 20%, population at 20%, with a 2 year phase out of the fixed base portion of the funding formula in both operations and capital." The council did not provide an enacted effective date in the transcript.

Council members also handled related personnel and appointments earlier in the meeting: the council accepted the resignation of Tim Turnock from the Deer Management Committee and confirmed Jameson Chapman to fill that vacancy. Those actions were taken separately and are not tied in the transcript to the fire-rescue funding discussion.

The council's discussion left outstanding items for follow-up including the billing investigation noted by Lake Country Fire and Rescue staff and the departmental decision on dive-rescue equipment. The council did not instruct staff in the recorded transcript to prepare an implementation schedule or publish revised intergovernmental agreements during the meeting.