July 28, 2026 – Town of Polk, WI – Town of Polk Chairman Albert Schulteis is urging Washington County residents to pay close attention to a proposed countywide Emergency Medical Services (EMS) funding plan.
During a recent interview, Schulteis repeatedly stressed that his primary concern is the impact on taxpayers and what he described as a lack of public understanding about how the proposal would work. Documents presented have been fluid, reflecting continuous discussions related to fine tuning the plan
Under the proposal being discussed at the 6% inflation rate, Schulteis said Town of Polk property owners would contribute roughly $154,000 the first year through the countywide EMS tax. Based on current estimates, he said about $90,000 would be returned to the town for EMS purposes, while 25% would be directed to local fire departments.
“This is coming from our own residents,” Schulteis said. “People think this is county money. Where do they think the County Funds come from?”The county has an avenue to help municipalities raise EMS funds where we as local municipalities have not been able to raise taxes since 2009 other than ‘net new construction,’ a referendum or borrowing money.”
Existing contracts would remain
One of Schulteis’ biggest objections is that the proposed tax would not replace the town’s existing fire and EMS costs.
He said Polk currently budgets $352,868.51 annually for fire and EMS through contracts with local departments. Even if the county EMS tax is approved, he does not expect those contracts to decrease.
The idea behind the well-intentioned county involvement is to offset and cover the annual increases since EMS costs constitute between 75% and 8 % of the departments time serving the residents.
“If anybody thinks our fire contracts are going to get lower, they don’t appreciate the continued cost increase of equipment and call volumes,” Schulteis said.
Concern over long-term growth
Schulteis also questioned a proposed 6% annual increase built into early planning documents. Since there was strong opposition stated mainly by Township Chairmen, a new County proposal was introduced at a 2-5% level depending on inflation changes.
Looking ahead 25 years, he estimated the annual cost to Town of Polk taxpayers could approach $1 million at the 6% proposal.
“This is insanity,” he said, later adding that he believed a 6% annual increase over 25 years is unrealistic.
He said a smaller annual adjustment, such as 3%, would be more reasonable if the proposal moves forward.
“We’re caught between a rock and a hard place”
Despite his objections, Schulteis said the Town of Polk voted to participate in the advisory process because he believed residents would be taxed whether the town participates or not.
“Our people are going to get taxed whether we’re involved or not,” he said.
According to Schulteis, if Polk declined to participate, residents would still pay the countywide EMS tax but the town would lose influence over how EMS dollars are distributed locally, plus the Fire Department partners would be penalized by not receiving their fair share..
He described the situation as being “caught between a rock and a hard place.”
Trust and transparency
Schulteis said another challenge is convincing taxpayers that additional funding is necessary at the originally proposed rates.
He acknowledged that fire departments face increasing costs and volunteer recruitment has become more difficult especially with the new training requirements, but he also said many residents have lost confidence in government spending.
“Nobody trusts government anymore,” he said, referring to government at all levels.
He believes any additional taxes should be thoroughly explained before being adopted.
Separate tax line anticipated
Schulteis said he understands the EMS assessment would likely appear as a separate line item on property tax bills, although he noted he could not say that with certainty.
County officials are working toward presenting a Draft proposal to the Washington County Board by late August or early September, according to Schulteis.
While emphasizing he supports quality EMS service and recognizes the financial pressures facing fire departments, Schulteis said his greatest concern remains the long-term impact on taxpayers.
“As well intentioned as this funding mechanism is for EMS, this proposal is the beginning.”
The Town of Polk voted on the advisory EMS measure during its July 14, 2026 meeting.
Schulteis said the trustees also included a letter with their final vote noting, “The Town Board ultimately voted in favor of adopting the resolution, but we did so reluctantly. Our vote should not be interpreted as a full endorsement or commitment to the proposed countywide EMS model as it currently stands. Rather, it reflects the difficult position in which our community finds itself. Throughout our discussions, the Board recognized that many important questions remain unanswered. We believe additional information and meaningful dialogue are still needed before we can confidently support such a significant change.” The full letter to the county is below.
The county Public Safety Committee meets July 29, 2026 at 4 p.m. at the Herbert J. Tennies Government Center – Room 1019, 432 E. Washington Street, West Bend, WI 53095
That meeting is free and open to the public.
Calls have been place to Washington County Supervisors. Supervisor, Jim Burg of Hartford said, “Don’t ever call here again. Call administration.” And hung up. Burg sits on the Public Safety Committee and will be voting on this issue July 29, 2026.
County Board Chairman Jeff Schleif has not returned calls, and constituents say he’s not returning their calls either.
Click HERE for details on how to contact your County Board supervisor.
This is a working story and more information will be posted when details are available.
