PESHTIGO — Gov. Tony Evers today, during National EMS Week, joined local leaders in the city of Peshtigo to celebrate the grand opening of the city’s newly expanded fire station, emergency medical services (EMS) facility, and library, which was funded in part by a $3 million grant awarded to the city through Gov. Evers’ Neighborhood Investment Fund grant program. The expanded facility includes additional storage space, a dedicated EMS room, a new staff kitchen, a meeting space, and more to bolster support services for kids, families, and seniors in the community and help address the department’s need for additional space and the integration of local EMS into their services.
“I’ve always believed that the state must be a partner in—and not an obstacle to—the important work our local partners are doing across our state every day. I was glad to be able to direct critical investments through the Neighborhood Investment program to support communities like Peshtigo across Wisconsin, and I’m especially proud that we could play a role in helping expand their local fire and EMS facilities that will pay dividends for the community’s future,” said Gov. Evers. “Through our $3 million investment through this program, the city of Peshtigo will be able to make key facility upgrades to ensure the fire department is better equipped to respond to emergencies quickly and provide life-saving care, helping keep local folks and families healthy and safe.”
In 2021, Gov. Evers directed over $200 million to create the Neighborhood Investment Fund grant program to help support local communities and Tribal Nations and build long-term, sustainable economic success across the state, including making transformative capital investments to benefit local residents. Local communities could apply to receive funding under the governor’s Neighborhood Investment Fund grant program to pursue new projects like workforce and entrepreneur innovation centers, affordable housing initiatives, transit and childcare solutions, or public space development.
In addition to the $3 million grant Peshtigo received through the Neighborhood Investment Fund grant program, the Evers Administration also launched a comprehensive round of investments to support and expand the state’s emergency medical services statewide. In Marinette County, this included funding through the state’s EMS Flex Grant program, as well as additional funding for 10 local EMS providers, making them eligible to receive nearly $244,000 in supplemental funding, bringing the total funding available for providers in Marinette County through the state’s EMS Funding Assistance Program to more than $307,000—nearly five times more than they would have originally received without the governor’s supplemental investment.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND ON GOV. EVERS’ EFFORTS TO BOLSTER EMS STATEWIDE
The governor’s investment in the Peshtigo fire and EMS facility came as part of a larger effort by the Evers Administration to support and expand access to healthcare and community services in the wake of the pandemic.
For years, local partners in Wisconsin have been asked to do more with less, and many communities were forced to cut back on services like public safety across the state. To address this concerning trend, during his 2022 State of the State address, Gov. Evers announced the state would be providing nearly $30 million to support EMS providers across the state, especially in rural communities, for whatever they need most to continue serving their communities, including staffing support, training for first responders, or purchasing new supplies, medical equipment, and vehicles. This $30 million investment included $8 million in one-time, supplemental funding for the Funding Assistance Program, which was awarded in the summer of 2022, as well as $12 million for the new, one-time EMS Flex Grant Program, to help fill the gap for those providers who were otherwise not eligible for Funding Assistance Program funding. In Marinette County, this included funding through the state’s EMS Flex Grant program, as well as additional funding for 10 local EMS providers, making them eligible to receive nearly $244,000 in supplemental funding, bringing the total funding available for providers in Marinette County through the state’s EMS Funding Assistance Program to more than $307,000—nearly five times more than they would have originally received without the governor’s supplemental investment.
In addition, later that year, the governor announced an additional $22 million investment to support fire station construction and expansion, EMS and emergency medical response (EMR) program support and expansion projects, and other permanent healthcare infrastructure in eight communities across the state.
Additionally, Gov. Evers in 2023 was proud to sign historic, bipartisan legislation around shared revenue that provided at least a 20 percent increase in support to most municipalities statewide. The increase in shared revenue represents a generational increase in the state’s commitment to local communities, and it ties local government funding to the state sales tax going forward, allowing for growth in the future.
Building upon these efforts and those advanced in the governor’s previous biennial budgets, earlier this year, Gov. Evers proposed measures as part of his 2025-27 Executive Budget to support local EMS providers and services, including:
$50 million to create a grant for municipalities to improve or expand emergency medical services; Establishing statutory language that removes the barriers first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder face when seeking worker’s compensation; Encouraging service sharing between local units of government on emergency medical services and fire protection by broadening the types of service sharing arrangements that qualify for the levy limit adjustments related to service sharing; and Modifying the allocation methodology, financial reporting requirements, expenditure limits, and training and examination regulations for the state’s Funding Assistance Program.
Unfortunately, the state’s Republican-controlled budget committee voted to gut the governor’s provisions to provide $50 million in EMS grants, modifying the state’s Funding Assistance Program, measures to fund local EMS services, and more from the governor’s budget. More on Republican lawmakers’ efforts to gut more than 600 provisions from Gov. Evers’ 2025-27 Executive Budget is available here.
An online version of this release is available here.
