Salem Lakes prepares to wind up fire pact after Paddock Lake notifies termination

Trustees of the Village of Salem Lakes directed staff to send a letter to the Village of Paddock Lake winding up financial obligations and other terms of the intergovernmental fire and emergency services agreement after Paddock Lake notified Salem Lakes of its intent to terminate the contract, trustees said following closed‑session deliberations.

Chief Keith Carr, speaking in open session, summarized the department’s long‑term relationship with Paddock Lake and said Salem Lakes Fire Rescue provided full firefighting and paramedic‑level emergency medical services under the contract. Carr said Station 2, located roughly a half mile from Paddock Lake, “consistently averages a response time of approximately three minutes” and that Station 2 has been staffed 24/7 with paramedic‑level personnel since May 3, 2024.

Carr told the board that Paddock Lake generated about 28% of the department’s call volume while contributing on an assessed‑value basis an amount equal to roughly 15% of the budget. He said the town’s contract payments had included debt service credits for prior apparatus purchases — $66,867 in 2021 and $96,204 annually in later years — which substantially reduced Paddock Lake’s net payments. Carr gave specific figures: in 2021 the fee was $241,083.44 after credits; in 2025 the contract value cited in his remarks was about $297,273.58 before adjustments, with debt service credit amounts of $96,204 applied in several years, totaling $288,612 in credits for the heavy rescue truck across the noted years.

Trustees said they had not received a formal counterproposal from Paddock Lake before the village received an email notifying termination. After a closed session citing Wisconsin Statute 19.85 to discuss bargaining strategy and legal advice, the board returned to open session and voted unanimously to direct staff to send the winding‑up letter to Paddock Lake. The roll‑call vote recorded in the transcript was unanimous; no dissenting votes were recorded.

Trustees and the fire chief framed the contract change primarily as a financial and allocation dispute: Salem Lakes officials said the payment formula based on equalized assessed value did not reflect service usage, which resulted in greater costs being borne by Salem Lakes taxpayers. The chief emphasized recent cases — a student struck by a car, a cardiac arrest revived on scene, and a severe sepsis arrest that responders treated — as examples of outcomes made possible by full‑time staffing.

Ending: Village officials said they will follow through on the board’s direction to staff, complete the wind‑up letter, and provide any necessary public updates after administrative steps are taken; trustees did not vote at the meeting to reopen or renegotiate the contract with Paddock Lake.