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Walworth Fire/Rescue referendum; voters to decide on staffing future

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Published  October 14, 2024 9:40pm CDT
You Decide
FOX6 News Milwaukee

Walworth Fire/Rescue referendum

The Walworth Fire/Rescue Department is asking voters to vote on a referendum come November about the future of the department.

The Brief

    • The Walworth Fire/Rescue Department is asking voters to vote on a referendum come November about the future of the department.
    • The Fire/Rescue Chief said employees are burnt out and barely getting by due to being stretched too thin.
    • The referendum asks for nearly $300,000 to provide two new full-time employees,
    • It would cost a taxpayer $300,000 of assessed property value, about $400 a year.

WALWORTH, Wis. - Stretched thin, double the calls, longer response times. 

The Walworth Fire/Rescue Department said they need more staff. That's where a referendum comes into play. 

People who live in the village have a chance to vote on the issue.

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On the outside, the fire department looks functional. But Walworth Fire/Rescue Chief Dave Austin said they are burnt out and barely getting by.

"We lose members, we’re having a difficult time recruiting," Austin said. "Our numbers of volunteers and paid on-call members have dwindled to the point where it is almost not sustainable to support our activities with our numbers."

Austin said their staff has been cut in half, but calls have doubled.

Which is why people living in the Village of Walworth will see a referendum on their ballots in November, asking the community for funds to provide full-time staffing.

There are 16 fire departments within Walworth County. Walworth is one of only two fire departments in the entire county that does not have paid full-time staff, and that ends up impacting other communities.

"We’re not always able to get an ambulance or emergency vehicles, so what’s happening is we’re relying more and more on our neighboring communities to provide us crucial and required service," Austin said.

The referendum asks for nearly $300,000 to provide two new full-time employees, so there would be fire and EMS coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It would cost a taxpayer $300,000 of assessed property value about $400 a year.

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"It’s a lot to take on in their monthly budgets or their annual budget. But it’s important," Austin said.

Bill Kingsley lives in the village and attended Monday’s meeting with questions.

"It’s a big ask. You know, for any of the residents," Kingsley said. "Especially in the times we’re living in now. It’s a chunk."

The Village of Walworth is one of several communities with ems-related referendums on ballots across Wisconsin.