WEST BEND, Wis. — Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann is pushing to create a countywide emergency medical services program funded through a new EMS levy, saying local emergency response organizations are facing a financial crisis they cannot solve on their own.
"The issue that we are facing is one that is nearing a crisis," Schoemann said. "It's creating a financial strain on those EMS departments like has never existed."
He and other county officials said town, village, and city emergency response organizations can no longer fund their services independently due to state budget restraints.
The proposed countywide services program would increase the county tax rate through an EMS levy to help fire and ambulance response teams remain operational. According to the proposed plan packet's "fiscal effect", it would increase the county tax rate by $0.12/$1,000 of equalized value.
Watch: Washington County moves closer to finalizing EMS levy to address emergency services funding crisis
Some community members, however, are pushing back, calling the effort an overreach.
Germantown resident Melanie Smythe emailed TMJ4 News asking Washington County reporter Marcus Aarsvold to attend the meeting, arguing the county is rushing the plan to approval.
"So where are some of the other savings that could be recognized by doing other work besides just bopping us with more taxes?" Smythe said. "Giving over taxation control to the county is a big issue because they could grab more taxation, or the ability to tax us on other things; it's a giving up of local control and sovereignty of our municipalities."
Nearly all municipal fire chiefs from the county attended the meeting and expressed support for Schoemann's plan, citing a rising number of calls and a declining number of volunteers.
"For most communities," West Bend Fire Department Chief Les Norin said. "Ordinary budget growth is no longer sufficient to sustain the level of services residents expect."
Smythe said she wants elected representatives to explore other options or, at minimum, circumvent additional tax increases if the levy is approved.
"If this is what has to happen, we need better checks and balances in the system," she said. "We need to know what they are."
Schoemann pushed back on characterizations of the proposal as a power grab, saying the county has done its due diligence.
"There's no way, shape or form that it's a double tax," he said. "It's covering those ongoing costs that there is no other way [to cover]."
Schoemann said a final decision is needed by November. Before then, he plans to host two public listening sessions at the end of August. Then the public safety committee has to approve the proposal, and a final vote goes to the full county board.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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