Excelsior Fire District seeks double-digit budget increase for SCBA replacements; Shorewood council hears presentation

Fire Chief Mackey and Assistant Fire Chief Basinger presented the Excelsior Fire District’s proposed 2026 operating budget to the Shorewood City Council on June 23, describing a request that would raise the district’s operating budget by a little over 11%.

Chief Mackey explained key drivers of the increase, including replacement of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) that reach expiration at 15 years and need to be replaced to meet safety standards, and purchase of an SCBA compressor unit. He noted the district’s ISO score (72.3 points, translating to an ISO rating of 3) and said compliance with OSHA and safety equipment expiration dates is material to both firefighter safety and the district’s insurance and regulatory posture.

Councilmember Sanschagrin asked about financing rates; Chief Mackey said they had a quote at 5.25% and noted that Deephaven offered financing under 5%. Chief Mackey said the district had recently purged and donated old gear and had no fines from a recent surprise OSHA inspection. He asked the Council to support the district given competing capital pressures in the member cities.

Chief Mackey said the district aims to keep annual increases near 10–12% where possible but noted some costs (for trucks, for example) are less controllable. He encouraged Council and residents to contact him with further questions.

No Council action to approve or deny the Fire District budget was taken at the meeting; the presentation was informational to inform Shorewood’s future budget decisions regarding its share of the district operating costs.