Split board OKs 2026 OCFD budget request

The Grafton Village Board on Monday agreed to fund the Ozaukee Central Fire Department at its 2026 level, even though it is only obligated to provide the same level of funding as in 2025.

The vote was split, with trustees Kevin Curtis, Sarah Scarpace, Dave Armstrong and Lisa Uribe Harbeck voting to approve the funding and Village President Dan Delorit and trustees Amy Luft and Andrew Schwartz voting against it.

Those opposed to the motion said they support the fire department but said the intergovernmental agreement that established the department needs to be amended to prevent future funding issues.

That agreement states, in part, that if any one of the four municipalities that make up the department fails to adopt the budget by Dec. 1, the previous year’s budget stands.

Of the four municipalities — the villages and towns of Grafton and Saukville — the Town of Grafton rejected the budget in September.

But Grafton village officials voiced their support for the department earlier this month, with Uribe Harbeck introducing a resolution that would have the village pay the full amount it budgeted for 2026, or $2.7 million.

That’s $360,000, or about 16%, more than the village paid for the department in 2025.

Interim Village Administrator Clint Gridley noted that the Village of Saukville’s share for 2026 is roughly the same as in 2025 while the Town of Saukville decreased slightly. The Town of Grafton’s share increased about 19%.

Officials tabled Uribe Harbeck’s resolution earlier this month pending a legal review, and Village Attorney Johnathan Woodward recommended that the village either take no action on the budget and work to renegotiate the agreement or take action only after an invoice is sent to the village. The board, however, approved the motion Monday.

Delorit said he and the three chief elected officials from the other communities will meet with the department to try and resolve the funding issue in the coming weeks.

“I would urge caution” before approving the full allocation for the department, Delorit said.

“To me, we’re all in agreement we support the fire department. We want to give the fire department the funding we think they need. But we’ve got to be able to get the rest of the communities on board with us. There are a number of issues out there.”

Luft concurred, saying, “It’s clear the agreement has been flawed since the beginning. We need to seek a renegotiated agreement with the town.”

Schwartz suggested a committee that includes two elected officials from each municipality and a fire department subcommittee work on a new agreement, saying the village — which pays its share of the budget in three payments — could make the January payment using the 2025 budget and adjust it appropriately later in the year, after a new pact is agreed to.

“Fix this agreement,” Schwartz said, noting the village has set aside in its 2026 budget the full funding for the department.

But Scarpace said the village needs to support the fire department by providing the funds it needs.

“We want them to be fully funded,” she said. “Something needs to happen. This has gone on long enough. We have to do something.”

Trustee Kevin Curtis agreed that the agreement needs to be renegotiated, but added that the village made a commitment to the department in its budget.

“We need to fix it (the agreement),” he said. “But we need to make sure the Ozaukee Central Fire Department has the budget it needs. I want to make sure we give the money to the fire department they asked for and we agreed to.”

Doing that, Armstrong said, would send a strong message to the department.

“I want to make sure our fire department has the resources it needs ... so the fire department knows we’ve got their back,” he said.

“The resolution says we as a Village Board support the fire department,” Uribe Harbeck said. “It’s so important to have us act together and say we do support them.”

Gridley noted that auditors found several overpayments made by the village and asked whether the payment should be adjusted accordingly.

That, officials said, will be dealt with in the future.

But Gridley warned that while officials want to support the department, it’s important to consider the impact on the community.

“You’re setting a precedent for the future,” he said. “You’re probably going to run into this again.

“We’re confined by rules and laws we entered into. If the board decides to go outside the agreement” it could have far-reaching impacts, Gridley said.

“You’re torn between the heart and the head. Be thoughtful. Be strategic. Think long term,” he said.