Oshkosh council directs staff to end broad ambulance contract, negotiate 2026 service with contiguous towns

The Oshkosh Common Council on June 24 directed city staff to terminate the city—9s existing multi-municipality ambulance service agreement effective at the end of 2025 and to negotiate a 2026 contract limited to contiguous municipalities.

Council members framed the decision as driven primarily by a shortage of qualified emergency medical staff and by the operational impacts of long ambulance response trips outside city boundaries. The action instructs staff to renegotiate short-term service with contiguous towns (identified in the meeting as Algoma, Nakaimai and Black Wolf) for 2026 only, and to explore longer-term regional or joint-service options beyond 2026.

Why it matters: City officials said staffing shortages have prevented the department from reliably staffing an added fourth ambulance and have increased "downtime" when Oshkosh units travel to serve outlying areas. Councilors and the city manager said the city—9s primary obligation is to the safety and response needs of Oshkosh residents; the council directed staff to…