July 29, 2026 – Germantown, WI – Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) is urging Washington County officials to slow down their proposed Emergency Medical Services funding plan, saying the process has lacked transparency, bypassed state lawmakers, and is asking local governments to support a permanent tax before key funding questions have been answered.
Speaking after the Germantown Village Board discussed the county’s proposed EMS funding resolution, Knodl said he did not realize the proposal had advanced to the point where municipalities were being asked to endorse a new tax.
“The discussion for three years is who should be responsible, who should be at the table in the funding stack, etc. Not, how we’re gonna go do it. And then to manipulate these local boards to take a vote in favor of it? That I wasn’t aware of.”
Knodl acknowledged local governments have been placed in a difficult financial position because Wisconsin’s levy limits tied to net new construction have not kept pace with the rising cost of providing emergency services.
He said communities are increasingly struggling to fund essential public safety services under current state law, making it even more important that county and state funding sources be fully evaluated before asking taxpayers to support an additional permanent tax.
Knodl said the proposal is moving too quickly and local officials, many of whom are newly elected, deserve more time to understand it before being asked to take a position.
“It just doesn’t need to be done overnight,” said Knodl.
Questions transparency & county’s reluctance to use 0.5% county sale tax
One of Knodl’s strongest criticisms centered on how the proposal was developed. He said discussions over the past three years were conducted outside public view.
According to Knodl, the lack of public meetings prevented taxpayers from questioning assumptions behind the proposal.
“When you do these type of meetings and it’s not in the public or the public’s not invited, those questions could come up. But because it’s done with just this private group… they’re not going to raise those questions.
“It’s terrible. It’s unacceptable,” he said.
Throughout his remarks, Knodl repeatedly argued Washington County should first commit existing county sales tax revenue to EMS before asking residents to approve another tax.
“There’s every reason and responsibility the county share those sales tax dollars,” he said.
Some quick facts on the Washington County sales tax:
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- Washington Co. sales tax was implemented in 2010 solely on a vote by the Washington County Board
- There was no public referendum on the implementation of the countywide sales tax, which initially was pitched as a “temporary measure.”
- The goal the first year at 0.5% was to raise about $8.6 million
- Currently the county sales tax is 5.5% which is a combination of 5.0% Wisconsin state sales tax and a 0.5% Washington County sales tax.
- Calls to Washington County supervisors regarding how much local sales tax has been generated since 2010, have not been returned.
- A 2023 advisory referendum asking the county to share the tax with local cities, towns, and villages passed by 76%. Ask your local elected officials how much they have received.
- Details below following a question to AI and source quoted is Wisconsin Department of Revenue.
State lawmakers left out
As a member of the Wisconsin Legislature, Knodl said he was surprised county officials had not approached state lawmakers about additional EMS funding before seeking support for a new countywide tax.
“Why have you not engaged with me on this? If you’re talking about funding in this funding stack, you’ve got to go to the state. How much is the state providing? How much is the county providing? And then what do we need on the local level? It’s just basic budgeting,” said Knodl
Ethics of the resolution
Knodl also objected to language in the proposed municipal resolution that indicates communities choosing not to participate could lose future funding opportunities.
“I don’t think it’s ethical to put out a resolution that you’re either in or you’re out. You vote for this or you’re out. That’s not ethical,” he said questioning whether such a requirement is even appropriate.
“Vote in favor or lose… I don’t even know how that’s legal.”
Knodl said, “That’s unacceptable. I mean, that’s just shocking to me.”
Pressure on local governments
Knodl questioned why municipalities are being asked to vote before the Washington County Board has formally acted on the proposal.
“What’s happening here, they’re asking the locals to vote on this, to kind of take the pressure off of the county board members. It’s a forced vote,” said Knodl.
He also encouraged county supervisors to independently review the proposal.
“It’s incumbent on those supervisors to do a little homework and not just roll over.”
Concern over a permanent tax
Another concern for Knodl is the proposed EMS funding mechanism would become permanent.
“Once this new tax’s in place, it will never, ever go away,” he said.
Knodl contrasted the county proposal with Germantown’s recent voter-approved referendum.
“Germantown proved their plan can work… They showed local control doesn’t need a $300,000 annual administrative fee nor a 6% increase every single year.”
Public should decide
Rather than asking municipal boards to endorse the proposal, Knodl said county residents should vote directly on any permanent tax increase.
“I’d rather see it go to the public… Quite frankly, I think it would have a good chance of passing because people recognize public safety is top of the list for government responsibilities.”
He later reiterated that point.
“This should be a referendum… Then you get input. You might not like the way they vote… But at least you have a voice and you get a vote in the matter.”
Alternative options
Knodl also suggested county officials should evaluate whether private ambulance providers could help deliver EMS service.
“Why aren’t we exploring the opportunity to hire private contractors to do this work?… You don’t have to worry about the benefits… You’ve solved a lot of financial pressure by contracting with private service.”
He further argued that long-term labor costs deserve additional scrutiny.
“We got to anticipate three to four percent pay hikes plus step increases… You’re talking about like seven percent annual pay increases. Well, that’s when you got a union collective bargaining agreement in place.”
In a written statement submitted to the Germantown Village Board, Knodl echoed many of the same concerns,
Attention Germantown Village Board:
It has recently come to my attention that Washington County has asked the local municipalities to vote on a new tax toward funding of emergency services.
I’m opposed to any tax increases in this regard.
If the County has previously budgeted to forward funds to Germantown for said services an additional tax should not be necessary.
If the County was using ARPA funds in this regard then that is poor financial management on the counties part.
Ongoing appropriations never should have been initiated using one time monies.
Furthermore, Germantown has recently begun its own additional tax collection for emergency services.
At minimum this issue should be tabled until all parties have further studied the ramifications of additional taxation.
State legislators should also be part of the conversation as the State forwards dollars to the county and municipalities for many services.
All elected entities should come together to properly plan how taxes are collected & distributed for most efficient use.
Thanks and Regards,
Dan Knodl
At 4 p.m. on July 29, 2026 the Washington County Public Safety Committee will meet for its first discussion of the proposal. The meeting at the Government building on E. Washington Street is free and open to the public.