© 2024 WXPR
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Fire District Idea Floated At Minocqua Town Bd. Meeting

Facebook: Minocqua Fire and Rescue

Creation of a fire district to encompass area fire departments should not be rejected out of hand, a proponent urged the Minocqua Town Board Tuesday.

. “Approach this with an open mind,” asked Ed Bruner, member of the ad hoc Woodruff Fire Truck/Fire District Committee.

For the past few weeks the committee has been looking into the pros and cons of forming a fire district.

A district encompassing two or more fire departments could lower costs to the towns through shared training, lower property insurance premiums, and equipment coordination, he said. The towns, however, would not lose their individual fire departments.

Bruner asked the board to send representatives to the committee’s meeting June 16 to further explore the proposal. The Woodruff group plans to likewise invite representatives from other neighboring towns, including Lake Tomahawk, Arbor Vitae, Hazelhurst, and Lac du Flambeau. All have volunteer fire departments, funded by town taxpayers and donations.

“We owe it to the taxpayers and the electorate to get an educated decision (on a fire district),” Bruner said.  But if Minocqua has to bear the brunt of the district’s operating cost – calculated through a formula based solely on equalized valuation – it will be a tough sell for Minocqua supervisors. “

For myself, I would be out based on (that) equalized cost sharing,” said John Thompson. The supervisor was responding to an information sheet that showed Minocqua’s equalized valuation at about $1.5 billion, while Woodruff’s and Hazelhurst’s valuation each hovers in the $340 million range.

Bruner admitted as much, saying that a formula that caps Minocqua’s contribution might be needed. Another possibility would be to base it partially on call outs of fire personnel to each town. Earlier, he pointed out that the committee was approaching neighboring towns for their initial reaction to a fire district, and not the aerial (ladder) fire truck that Woodruff is considering buying. He also asked for two Minocqua representatives, possibly the fire chief and a supervisor, to shadow the committee’s meetings.

Fire Chief Andy Petrowski, however, demurred. “I just don’t have a lot of time, “ he said, pointing out that he’s heavily involved in the planning of the town’s new fire station.

Town Chairman Mark Hartzheim volunteered, along with the town clerk, to get information to the Woodruff committee. Petrowski later said he would also provide information, but not committee involvement. Supervisor Billy Fried said it is important to get the area fire chiefs involved in the initial discussions. He also noted that the Oneida County coroner has had experience in fire district formation and should be contacted. Fried also compared his experience in trying to get local school districts to consolidate with that of a fire district.

“Minocqua was always taking the brunt of (the cost). Especially if you’re talking about equalized values (for setting the formula). If it’s going that way, I think it’s going to be hard to convince this board to want to go that direction.  Bruner was clear that forming a fire district rested on a sound investigation and weighing of all factors. They were not going into this with a predetermined recommendation, he said. Bruner said the committee will devote substantial time, including talking to fire district experts, before making a recommendation to town boards. He mentioned one fire district officer from the Chippewa Falls area who said if he undertook a study that it would take six to eight months to complete. His fee would be $30 per hour, but no estimate was given for a total cost.

“The key thing that I have learned so far is that it’s critical to take our time, be thorough and patient,” Bruner said. “It isn’t going to be done overnight. We have to get all the facts.” Questions to be answered include, will volunteerism go up or down; who will be the chief; cost sharing determination; and if any fire districts in the state folded, and why? Data collected so far includes findings of the Eagle River Fire Area Department (ERFAD), which is a fire district. Prior to that, the Eagle River Fire Department was owned by the city of Eagle River and the town of Lincoln. The ERFAD now includes the towns of Washington and Cloverland, the latter pays the town of St. Germain for coverage of a portion of that town.

The board took no formal action. Hartzheim thanked Bruner for his efforts on the study.

Up North Updates
* indicates required
Related Content