Waunakee trustees press for statutory fire commission as talks with towns stall

Trustees for the Village of Waunakee on Monday outlined steps they have taken to implement recommendations from a 2024 McMahon Associates fire study and said state law requires formation of a statutory fire commission for districts serving larger municipalities.

The presentation by village staff and board representatives summarized the district’s operating agreement (last updated in July 2012), the McMahon report’s recommendation that the operating agreement be updated “immediately” to include a fire commission that appoints the chief, and recent local actions including a December ordinance by the village to require a fire commission and a December fire board vote to keep the existing operating agreement in place while a commission is created (a 3–2 vote, with the two village board members voting no).

Why it matters: The village’s presenters said Waunakee now funds about 71% of the joint fire district based on equalized value and that the current operating agreement limits the village’s ability to act quickly on unbudgeted needs, personnel oversight and capital projects. The McMahon report recommended a commission and…