County committee hears timeline for fire and EMS study draft, final report expected in August

The Walworth County Executive Committee was updated Monday on the county's Fire and EMS study and told the Policy Forum contractor expects a near-complete draft in July and a final published report in August.

Committee members were briefed that the Policy Forum paused work for two weeks for other annual obligations but has since resumed work and will convene a small proofreading group before issuing a full draft. Staff said a meeting to review the preliminary report and gather feedback will precede final publication in August, and that the county's intergovernmental coordinating committee (ICC) will be asked to review the study, likely in late July or early August.

The update matters because the study was requested by member communities and is intended to inform future local service and funding decisions. Committee members asked staff to coordinate with Rob and the Policy Forum to pin down specific meeting dates now that the contractor is back on the project.

Committee discussion noted the Policy Forum had held a small subgroup meeting with four fire chiefs to review preliminary findings; staff said the Forum will present a draft to the Fire/EMS study committee before broader ICC review. No formal action was taken; the committee will schedule follow-up meetings once the Policy Forum confirms the timeline.

Background: the Fire and EMS study was requested by local communities and is managed through the county's study committee process. The Policy Forum is the contracted analyst; Ashley Fisher of the Policy Forum was identified as the contractor working on the draft.