WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. — More trouble for the Elkhorn Area Fire Department (EAFD) as another township is pulling out of the fire service agreement.
For months, TMJ4's Chief Investigative Reporter Jenna Rae has exposed long-standing issues with staffing, building conditions, and transparency surrounding the EAFD.
TMJ4 is now learning the Town of Sugar Creek has provided notice to the City of Elkhorn that it will not renew or continue the fire department service agreement.
The town's chairman, David Robers, said over the phone that they've been looking at more efficient ways to spend their money and that TMJ4's reporting helped make the decision to move on and provide different protections for people living in Sugar Creek.
As we've previously reported, the EAFD is a full-time fire department funded by taxpayers in the City of Elkhorn and the towns of LaFayette, Sugar Creek and Geneva.
In December 2025, the town of LaFayette provided notice that it would be ending its agreement for fire services in Elkhorn.
Emails obtained by TMJ4 News show Elkhorn's City Administrator, Adam Swann, telling department directors in February to review their budgets to identify potential cuts. That's because LaFayette leaving would result in a nearly $300,000 gap to fill.
With that came concerns from first responders we first talked to in April.
"The words from the city were 'nothing is off the table, and the first thing we're looking at is staffing cuts'," former fire lieutenant Tristan McNamara said.
Watch: Elkhorn Fire: Second municipality in six months pulls out of service agreement
This week, Elkhorn's common council approved a staffing analysis for the fire department. It's a promise city leaders made during our interview at the beginning of May.
"They can provide really good feedback and recommendations, not only on how we can adapt right now with LaFayette leaving, but what we should consider doing over the next, say, three, five, 10 years," Swann explained.
Now, the Town of Sugar Creek is the second municipality in six months to end its fire services with Elkhorn.
In an email obtained by TMJ4, sent to first responders this week, Swann acknowledged Sugar Creek is ending its agreement and said in part the news was disappointing because the city had been working hard the past year to collaborate with the towns of LaFayette, Sugar Creek and Geneva to improve fire department services.
In an email to Rae, Swann said, "it's too early to know what (if any) financial gap this will cause EAFD. The Council approved a staffing analysis on Monday night that will help the City evaluate its future staffing needs. The City will have to cover more of the apparatus and equipments costs in the future, but if the EAFD responds to fewer service calls, this may modify the apparatus and equipment needed. This will be something the City, EAFD, and Town of Geneva will have to evaluate moving forward."
This notice of termination does not mean Sugar Creek will stop receiving emergency services right away. They're still locked into the contract for another three years, unless the municipalities agree to new terms.
We also spoke with the Town of Geneva's chairman, who said they're not looking to abandon Elkhorn and are looking at all options for residents.
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