City of Oshkosh, Town of Algoma
Joint Fire & EMS Study

The study has been completed, and the City and Town are working with McMahon Associates to review the findings. No decisions have been made regarding changes to how fire and EMS are provided to the City or Town.

Does this study mean the City of Oshkosh and Town of Algoma have decided to combine their fire or EMS services?

No. The study is intended to provide information about current operations, service needs, potential shared-service options, and long-term financial considerations. Neither community has made a decision to change how fire or EMS services are provided.

Will residents experience any immediate changes to fire or EMS response?

No immediate changes are planned as a result of the study. The City of Oshkosh Fire Department and Town of Algoma Fire Department will continue providing services under their current arrangements unless and until elected officials take future action following public discussion and review.

Is this study related to annexation of Town of Algoma property into the City of Oshkosh?

No. This study is not an annexation study and does not evaluate, recommend, or advance annexation of Town of Algoma property into the City of Oshkosh. It is limited to reviewing opportunities for collaboration in the delivery of fire and emergency medical services.

Why are the City and Town considering shared-service options?

Both communities are evaluating how to maintain high-quality emergency services while addressing increasing personnel, equipment, facility, and operational costs; changing service demands; and Wisconsin’s municipal funding constraints. Shared-service arrangements may offer operational, financial, or service-delivery benefits, but the study does not presume a particular outcome.

What types of options does the study examine?

The study examines a range of potential approaches, which may include maintaining current service arrangements, expanding specific shared services, coordinating staffing or specialized resources, contractual service arrangements, or creation of a joint fire and/or EMS district. The review of these options is informational; no option has been selected.

Future meetings are being planned and this page will be updated as opportunities for public input are scheduled.

The City of Oshkosh and Town of Algoma are conducting this study out of a desire to preserve high-quality service delivery. Wisconsin's municipal funding structure creates challenges for communities as the cost of providing essential services continues to increase. Municipal levy limits restrict the amount individual municipalities can increase their property tax levy, based largely on net new construction. A joint fire and/or EMS district may qualify for an exception to those levy limits, providing additional flexibility to support fire and EMS services. The study also examines potential opportunities through Wisconsin’s Innovation Fund, which provides financial incentives for eligible local governments that transfer services to shared service arrangements.

July 8, 2025: Oshkosh Common Council meeting

• Resolution 25-392 terminated the Ambulance Service Agreement with surrounding municipalities
• Gave direction to City staff to explore any and all available options for fire and EMS services moving forward, including specifically the option to explore the creation of a joint department and/or to research options that may be eligible for grant funding through the State of Wisconsin
• Recording of July 8, 2025 Council meeting (link starts the recording at Res 25-392)

July 16, 2025: Algoma Board of Supervisors meeting

• Discussed the termination of the EMS contract by the City and the City would consider a new contract with the town for 2026, as well as the potential for a joint fire department.
• Minutes from July 16, 2025 Board meeting

August 12, 2025: Oshkosh Common Council meeting

• Reporting Professional Services Agreement with McMahon Associates, Inc. for a Joint Fire Department Study
• Agenda item
• Recording of August 12, 2025 Council meeting (link starts the recording at the reporting of the PSA)

August 20, 2025: Algoma Board of Supervisors meeting

• Discussion of the contract for Emergency Medical Services
• Approval of Joint Fire Department Study with the City of Oshkosh
• Minutes from August 20, 2025 Board meeting

October 22, 2026: Study completed

• Joint workshop of Town of Algoma Board and City of Oshkosh Common Council the results of the joint fire department study conducted by McMahon Associates and discuss its findings and recommendations.

Service demand

Total volume and types of emergency and non-emergency requests for help from the community that the department must respond to.

Response capacity

The ability to deploy personnel, vehicles, and equipment to control an emergency within a target timeframe.

Innovation Grant

Sometimes referenced as the Innovation Fund, the Innovation Grant program is a state grant designed to promote innovation and collaboration among Wisconsin counties, municipalities, and tribes. Specifically, the grant provides funds for counties, municipalities, and tribes that implement a plan to completely transfer one or more of allowable services/duties (including fire and EMS) to another county, municipality, tribe, nonprofit organization, or private entity (transferee). Awarded grants are equal to 25% of the total costs of providing the service, up to $10 million per year.

• More information can be found on the Wisconsin Department of Revenue's (DOR) webpage for Innovation Grants, including an overview of the program and common questions.

Levy Limits

Levy limits prevent counties, cities, towns, and villages from raising their basic levy (which is a kind of tax) by more than the increase in net new construction from last year to this year. Changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), commonly talked about as inflation, are not factored into the levy limit calculation at all. This means that, municipal costs for goods and services continue to rise due to inflation, while the levy limit limits any increases specifically to net new construction.

• Learn more at the DOR's webpage for County and Municipal Levy Limits.

Net new construction

This refers to the amount of new construction in a municipality in a given year, reduced by any demolition or destruction of buildings. This amount governs how much a municipality's levy can be increased from year to year. There is no floor to this amount – if no new construction happens in a community in a given year, the levy cannot be increased no matter what may have happened to the cost of goods and services during that time period.

• Learn more at the DOR's webpage for Net New Construction.

Shared services

Also called joint services, Wisconsin statutes allow two or more municipalities to organize their fire or EMS services under a shared ownership or membership structure. This can lead to benefits for participating municipalities that include reduced overhead and other costs, as well as additional funding opportunities.

• Joint fire department – must be organized under sec. 60.55(1)(a)2., 61.65(2)(a)3., or 62.13(1m), Wis. Stats., or by any combination of two or more cities, villages, or towns under sec. 66.0301(2), Wis. Stats.
• Joint EMS district – must be organized by any combination of two or more cities, villages, or towns under sec. 66.0301(2), Wis. Stats.

2026 Joint Fire Department Study Presentation

2026 Joint Fire Department Study

2022 Oshkosh Fire Department Facilities Study

2013 Town of Algoma Fire Department Organizational Analysis