Washington County executive pitches expanded shared services to cut redundancy and lower costs

County Executive Josh Shulman used a recent WASHCO Weekly episode to lay out Washington County’s ongoing push to expand shared services with towns, villages and cities across the county.

Shulman said the goal is to "make government a little smaller, a little smarter, a little bit more cost efficient and effective for you," and urged municipalities to consider joint approaches on everything from road maintenance to IT and emergency services. He said statutes allow such cooperation and described the work as focused on reducing redundancy and lowering costs for taxpayers.

As an example of consolidation, Shulman pointed to the county’s public health department merger with Ozaukee County "over a decade ago," which he said is part of a suite of efforts that have saved "millions of dollars." He added that "there will be millions more in 2026 and in years to come" as other agreements take effect.

Shulman emphasized the county’s dual role: counties are an "arm of the state," carrying out state-directed functions such as the court system while also offering optional services like county parks. That distinction, he said, shapes where counties can lead on shared services and where authority is constrained by state direction.

On practical collaboration, Shulman described arrangements in which the county provides equipment and staff for road projects — shoulder repairs, seal coating and crack filling — while municipalities pay for materials, an approach he said yields "a much higher bang for the buck." He also urged smaller local governments to leverage county IT services for stronger cybersecurity and infrastructure, and cited county-hosted plat maps and GIS as examples of resources that can be shared.

Looking ahead, Shulman identified fire and emergency medical services as a "latest and greatest" area for exploration, saying EMS calls are increasing "as our county ages" and asking how resources might be pooled to improve long‑term response.

Shulman closed by encouraging residents to send suggestions and questions to the county via email for possible coverage on future WASHCO Weekly episodes and for staff consideration.

The county executive did not provide specific line‑item dollar amounts or a detailed breakdown of the claimed savings; he described overall savings as "millions of dollars" and projected additional savings in 2026. The county’s next steps include continuing meetings with municipal leaders to develop and implement shared-service arrangements.