Mukwonago town and village voters OK funding for new Fire Department positions
MUKWONAGO - As Mukwonago Fire Chief Jeff Stien looked around the bays of the fire stations, he saw a problem: the need to recast the department to address a growing population with more full-time personnel around the clock.
Voters in the town and village of Mukwonago also saw it that way.
In two referendums, 58.3% of village voters marked "yes" on ballots to approve funding for three new fire positions; while town residents, facing a more costly measure that also included three additional fire jobs, narrowly approved the measure with 50.9% of the vote.
All results were unofficial on Tuesday night, pending final approval by election canvassers.
More:2022 Wisconsin Midterm Election Results
In response to a departmental study that began in 2019, Mukwonago fire officials, and elected representatives from the town and village boards, opted to seek voter support to finance the hiring of six additional full-time fire and rescue workers for the municipalities' joint Fire Department.
The issue centered around operational changes of the Mukwonago Fire Department, which according to one study has seen an 86% increase in service calls compared with 22 years ago. In presentations leading up to Tuesday's vote, Stien also noted that the department now serves more than 16,000 residents, a growth trend that consists of an aging population that could further increase emergency service and ambulance calls.
Voters in each jurisdiction had to approve the measures for the funding plan to succeed.
Stien, as part of a joint statement issued by fire officials, said he appreciated the result and promised to follow through on the service-oriented intent of the measure.
"We have been keeping a close eye on things, and we knew that it was going to be close, but we couldn’t be more thankful for the support of our communities," he said. "It is not lost on us the magnitude and the responsibility that comes with the approval of these additional positions. It will be our goal to provide nothing short of the constant excellence and expertise that Mukwonago has come to expect!"
Results
Village fire referendum
"Yes" votes, 2,335
"No" notes, 1,668
Town fire referendum
"Yes" votes, 2,274
"No" votes, 2,195
Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mukwonago voters OK funding for new Fire Department positions
