Brown Deer approves North Shore Fire capital plan, ambulance fee increases and levy exemption

President Montgomery and the Village Board adopted three measures on Oct. 6 that change how North Shore Fire Services plans for capital purchases, bills for ambulance transports and treats the department's portion of the property tax levy.

Chief Whitaker outlined the fire department's 10-year financial plan and the immediate 2026 requests before the board. The department presented a rolling five-year capital budget to coordinate long lead-time purchases for fire engines, ladder trucks and ambulances; the board approved that proposal as resolution 25-13. "We are planning four to five years out for purchase," Chief Whitaker said, noting industry-wide increases in apparatus costs and lengthy manufacturer lead times. The board adopted the resolution by roll call (Booker; Woods; Owens; Johnson; Greaves; Thompson; President Montgomery ' Aye). The resolution passed unanimously.

Budget and operational pressures drove the second action. Whitaker said roughly 75% of calls are medical and that call volume has increased about 40% in the south communities since 2015. Staff presented an EMS fee study that estimated the true average cost to provide a transport at about $1,900, while Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements commonly range "from $280 to $500," leaving a large shortfall for the department. To improve cost recovery, the department proposed switching from itemized billing to a single bundled transport charge and raising base rates; the board adopted the fee schedule as resolution 25-14 (roll-call vote: all ayes).

The third adopted measure, resolution 25-15, authorizes member municipalities to seek an exemption to normal levy limits for the fire department's portion of property-tax levies, a mechanism the presenter said would allow municipalities to levy up to CPI plus 2% for the fire department under state law and therefore ease local budgeting for large capital purchases. Chief Whitaker characterized the change as important because the municipal contribution formula is implemented over several years and personnel costs represent roughly 80% of operating budgets. The resolution passed unanimously by roll call.

What passed and what it means: the capital resolution formalizes a rolling five-year plan for apparatus purchases; the fee schedule increases ambulance/base transport charges and moves to a bundled billing methodology intended to reduce denied claims and improve collections; and the levy-exemption resolution commits the village to seek a statutory treatment that could ease budget pressure for member municipalities when all seven participating municipalities pass similar resolutions.

The board recorded votes for all three measures by roll call; each adopted measure passed with all members present voting "Aye." No amendments were recorded.

Next steps: staff said some federal and Medicaid batch funding remains pending; the fire department said it will not count that money in final budgets until payments are received and confirmed. The department will continue contract negotiations and follow legislative developments the presenters said could affect private-payer reimbursement for ambulance services.