The La Crosse and Holmen Area Fire Departments will continue to fight fires together at least through the end of the year, and a referendum is likely coming this fall to possibly increase public safety funding for some of the communities involved.
The communities entered into a shared service agreement last summer, which is set to expire at the end of the month. An amendment, which was approved by the Finance & Personnel Committee Thursday, extends that contract until Dec. 31.
This is currently only a temporary agreement between the La Crosse Fire Department and the Holmen Area Fire Department — which provides service to the village of Holmen and the towns of Onalaska and Holland — while a possible long-term contract can be drafted.
Interim Fire Chief Jeff Murphy told the committee that negotiations have been going well so far, and that there will likely be a referendum this fall.