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PSAP board approves commission agreement and Innovation Fund grant application
Summary
The Ashland–Bayfield PSAP Board approved a commission agreement and a Wisconsin Innovation Fund grant application that would consolidate 911 services into a single commission and, if awarded, provide about $1.6 million over five years; board members asked for legal and Emergency Medical Dispatch guarantees before finalizing the agreement.
The Ashland–Bayfield Consolidated PSAP Board of Directors on March 17 approved a commission agreement and a Wisconsin Innovation Fund grant application intended to consolidate dispatch services for Bayfield and Ashland counties and secure multiyear funding.
Mark Abeles-Allison, Bayfield County administrator, told the board the Innovation Fund proposal would cover 25% of the PSAP’s 2025 operating cost spread evenly over five years — approximately $1.6 million total between the two counties — and requires transferring service to a single entity. Abeles-Allison moved to “Approve the commission agreement and Innovation Fund grant application with the changes before the board today.” Dan Grady, Ashland County administrator, seconded the motion and it carried.
Why it matters: the grant would provide predictable funding tied to a five-year commitment and requires the commission structure to be in place if the grant is awarded. Grady said Ashland County’s grant writer has finished the application and the Ashland County Board will vote on it March 24.
Board members raised conditions they want written into the agreement. Quaderer, the PSAP director, asked that the agreement explicitly require compliance with state and federal law, guarantee an Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) program (a condition for state funding), and clarify the respective responsibilities of the commission and the director for policy approvals. Sheriff Tony Williams said it is important that the sheriffs remain members of the commission.
Grady cautioned about fiscal limits under the proposal, saying the board must ensure the PSAP does not exceed 115% of its 2025 budget over the five-year period. Abeles-Allison said the grant application is due March 31, 2026, and — if awarded — the commission must be established by June 30, 2026. Abeles-Allison told the board the decision on changing the governance format without the grant will depend on whether the award is known before that deadline. The PSAP’s planned restructuring will appear on the next Bayfield County Board agenda.
The board approved the motion to submit the grant application with the requested changes and direction to finalize a commission agreement that incorporates the board’s conditions.
The board adjourned at 1:40 p.m.; the next PSAP Board meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 19, 2026, at the Bayfield County Emergency Operations Center.
