Fitchburg EMS Commission previews 2027 budget, weighs more physician time and added daytime staffing

The Fitchburg EMS District Commission on June 18 reviewed a non-actionable preliminary 2027 budget that projects an overall roughly 6% increase in the district budget and municipal impacts of about 2% for the city of Fitchburg. Chief staff presented the budget as an estimate built from multi-year averages of run volume, billable rates, and equalized value and said run revenue is volatile month to month.

The chief said last month27s call volume rose to 491, tying the district27s busiest month on record and noting 33 "out of resources" events and 29 mutual-aid responses year-to-date. Those operational pressures, plus rising personnel costs that make up roughly 80% of the budget, underlie the proposed staffing and service changes in the 2027 plan.

Key budget proposals discussed included a rate review for ambulance fees, adding permanent part-time staffing (to guarantee two days a week for the flex ambulance and a plan to expand to four days), and a multi-year path to a fourth daytime ambulance. The chief estimated the incremental cost to add two more days of permanent part-time coverage would be roughly $80,000 (about $65,000 wages plus benefits) and described stepwise staffing additions over several years rather than hiring immediately for full 24/7 coverage.

A central point of scrutiny in discussion was a proposal to increase medical director/physician time provided by the University of Wisconsin (UW) consortium. The district currently pays $33,000 annually for one day per month of physician/medical direction; the chief said UW27s initial estimate to add another day would effectively double that fee, yielding about 16 additional hours of physician time annually. "We're buying essentially 16 hours of dedicated physician time," the chief said, describing possible uses such as run reviews, hands-on training, scenario practice, and ride-alongs with Badger One first-response units.

Commissioners pressed for market comparisons and clearer descriptions of deliverables. One member, identified in the meeting as a former physician, questioned the per-hour equivalent cost and said it seemed high; other members said UW27s emergency medicine program is a leading local supplier of medical direction and that the district should weigh value as well as price. The commission asked staff to invite Dr. Mansera, the district27s medical director, to the next meeting to outline precisely what additional services the extra physician day would include.

The chief also explained revenue estimation mechanics to members: run revenue is modeled from a blend of historical invoices, expected collections and a multi-year average of per-capita call volume, and is sensitive to the equalized valuation figures scheduled for release in late July/early August. The preliminary budget presented would shift municipal shares by small percentages depending on those later numbers.

The budget presentation did not include formal votes; commissioners were asked to review the packet and provide feedback to municipal finance directors and administrators prior to final submission later this summer. The commission instructed the chief to present a rate-review proposal next month and to invite the medical director to explain the proposed increase in physician time and the specific training and clinical activities that would accompany it.

The meeting concluded with routine administrative items and no further budget action taken.