Voters in five of seven Waukesha County communities voted against a referendum Tuesday that called for nearly doubling the annual budget for the Western Lakes Fire District, which would enable the district to address severe staffing shortages.
Voters in the towns of Merton, Oconomowoc, Ottawa and villages of Dousman and Summit all voted "no" to the referendum question. Voters in the city of Oconomowoc and village of Lac La Belle approved the referendum.
Western Lakes asked the seven municipalities it covers for fire and emergency medical services for $6.3 million for 33 additional in-station firefighter and paramedics, three battalion chiefs, 15 paid interns, a full-time administrator and a fire inspector. Additionally, if approved, the referendum would help raise the wages of existing staff. Currently, WLFD's annual budget runs around $6.8 million.