Muskego council delays Test Corners fire contract after debate over donation transparency
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Summary
Councilors deferred final approval of a new agreement with Test Corners Volunteer Fire Department after weeks of negotiation over open-records language and whether the department must disclose donation amounts above $5,000. The mayor was authorized to extend the prior contract for up to 90 days to avoid disrupting fire service.
The Muskego Common Council on Feb. 10 deferred final approval of a proposed 2026–27 contract with the Test Corners Volunteer Fire Department after an extended debate over transparency in the department’s financial disclosures.
Alderman Tom Wolf and others pressed for the fire department to provide itemized donation amounts — not donor names — for the council to review before finalizing the contract. Alderman Schrader said the council had asked previously for donation figures “for the last five years” (later proposed as six) for any donations above $5,000, arguing that the information is needed during the city’s budget process and is a matter of taxpayer transparency.
City staff said the fire department already provides quarterly financial statements to the city and that, under the proposed wording, the city would hold financial records and make them public where appropriate. “They provide it to us quarterly,” a staff speaker said, adding the city could serve as the custodian of records that become public records once in the city’s possession.
Still, several aldermen remained skeptical of revised open-records language in the draft, saying it could make it harder for the public to access financial information. Alderman Decker moved to revert the open-records paragraph to the council’s prior wording; the motion passed on roll call.
To prevent a lapse in emergency coverage while negotiations continue, the council authorized the mayor to extend the expired prior contract (which lapsed Dec. 31, 2025) for up to 90 days and to increase the first quarterly payment by $12,500 to reflect the new rate. That motion carried by voice vote.
The council then formally deferred the remainder of the contract for further negotiation on donations and specific contract language. Staff said it will return a revised agreement addressing the council’s requested changes.
What happens next: Staff will renegotiate the disputed donation/disclosure language with Test Corners and return with a revised contract. The mayor’s 90‑day extension keeps the previous arrangement in place while the parties work to reconcile language and transparency provisions.