Town, Newburg officials to discuss rift over fire contract

Newburg Fire Department representatives will meet with the Saukville Town Board next week to discuss their differences over what the department charges the town for fire protection.

Last month, town supervisors voted unanimously to cut funding to the Newburg Fire Department by 67% after determining they were being overcharged based on the equalized value in the town compared to values in the Town of Trenton and the Village of Newburg, which also contract with the Newburg Fire Department.

That would cut funding to the fire department for 2019 to $116,607, down from $183,931 it paid in 2018.

Supervisors made the decision after asking Newburg Fire officials to explain their rationale for the charges but getting no response.

They said they want fire protection charges to be based on equalized property value as they once were.

Based on current equalized value, the Town of Saukville pays more than twice what the Town of Trenton pays, 80 cents vs. 38 cents per $1,000 of equalized value. Newburg residents paid 52 cents per $1,000 in 2018.

Newburg paid $43,377 in 2018 and the Town of Trenton paid $201,158 in 2018.

At nearly $526 million, Trenton, which is home to many newer higher-priced residential subdivisions, has a total equalized value  far higher than either Newburg’s, at $83 million, or the Town of Saukville’s, at $227.7 million.

Nathaniel Melby, chief of the Town of Campbell Fire Department near La Crosse and president of the Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs Association, said there are three formulas typically used in fire protection contracts, all of which take into account equalized value.

Since other fire departments provide fire protection to Town of Saukville residents and are reimbursed through the Newburg Fire Department, cutting the payment to Newburg would affect those other fire departments as well.

The Village of Saukville Fire Department would be most affected by any change, even though it’s Newburg that holds the contract, because Saukville’s coverage area includes almost half of the Town of Saukville, more than any of the other three departments, Newburg included.

Saukville Fire Chief Gilly Schultz said he didn’t know how much money his department would lose if the town cut its funding, but it would have an effect.

“Our budget for next year is already set so it definitely would have an effect on us,” he said.

Fredonia Fire Chief Brian Weyker said a reduction in the amount envisioned by the Town of Saukville would mean a $4,000 loss to the Fredonia Fire Department.

Most volunteer fire departments are private corporations that contract with municipalities to provide fire protection. As private entities, their finances and other internal information are often not subject to public records laws and sometimes are not readily shared even with the contracting municipalities.

Trenton recently signed a three-year contract with the Newburg Fire Department, with a slight increase to what it paid this past year, Town Chairman Joseph Gonnering said.

The Town Board meeting is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, at Town Hall, 3762 Lakeland Rd.