_07152026-3418

Bayfield County Clerk Lynn M. Divine Jeran Delaine, Deputy Clerk Erin Tibbits , Clerk 11 Ph: 715.373.6100 ● Email: Lynn.Divine@bayfieldcounty.wi.gov ● 117 E. Fifth Street, PO Box 878, Washburn, WI 54891 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING of the BAYFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS July 15 , 2026 Meeting held in the Bayfield County Boardroom, Courthouse, Washburn WI Call to Order: The special meeting of the Bayfield County Board of Supervisors was called to order at 2:00 pm by Chair Jan Lee. Roll Call was taken by County Clerk Lynn Divine, as follows: Sandstrom – present; Tucker – present; Fickbohm – present; Ray – present; Lee – present; Olsen – present; Pocernich – present; Strand – present; Holte – present; Milanowski – present; Roguski – present (remote); Crandall – present; Rosa – present. Present - 13; Absent - 0. A quorum was present to conduct business. Others Present: Mark Abeles - Allison, County Administrator; Kelly Westlund, Deputy Administrator; Lynn M. Divine , County Clerk; Erin Tibbits, Clerk II; State Representative Angela Stroud (remote) ; Jonathan Schultz, Bayfield County Medical Director; James Small, Wisconsin Office of Rural Health; Diane Erickson, Red Cliff Health Services; Walt Gurske, Bayfield County Dispatch; representatives from RFP service providers and other members of the public. Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance. Introduction: EMS Director Meag a n Quaderer spoke on the multi - year effort to stabilize EMS across the county and provided a timeline of event s . She discussed the current Bayfield County EM S system and stated that the strain on this system has reached a point where supplemental support has become necessary. She stated that the goal is to reduce and eventually eliminate missed 911 calls and ensure consistent countywide E M S coverage by adding supplemental services while keeping the current volunteer system intact. She spoke about upcoming public forums on July 22 nd and 23 rd . Deputy Administrator Kelly Westlund spoke on time limits for presentations, the importance of the topic , why it was brought to the County Board and the proposal scoring process. She stressed that the county is not looking to replace the existing EMS agencies but are seeking to provide a safety net to help strengthen the current system. Rural EMS Outreach Program Manager , Wisconsin Office of Rural Health James Small: Small spoke of the challenges rural EMS systems are facing. He stated that his role is to provide technical assistance to help the county make the right decision based on evidence and fact. He introduced the scoring packet and explained how it should be use d . T he goal is to follow the county’s procurement policy and be objective at reviewing the different presentations and proposals. Pro po sal Presentations : Ashland Fire Department , Brian Zieman from Bayfield County EMS , Essentia Health and North Memorial Health gave PowerPoint presentations covering qualifications, services offered, coverage areas, staffing, delivery models / operational plans and financial proposals. Each presenter ha d a question - and - answer period with board members after their presentation. Impact Statements : Statements were made by Bayfield County Medical Director, Dr. Jonath a n Shultz, Walt Gurske from Bayfield County Dispatch and Diane Erickson from the Red Cliff Tribe regarding the top priority of providing EMS to everyone in need , the impact of missed calls, and the need for a supplemental EMS system in Bayfield County. Break: 4:25 p . m . Lee called the meeting back to order at 4:33 pm. Public Comment: Jeff Beyeroff - Shore Shore Ambulance, concerned with EMS missed calls and encouraged the Board to consider each proposal carefully . Rich N e mitz - Town of Iron River , concerned with losing volunteer EMS providers to career EMT positions within the proposed supplemental services. Nicholas Suminski - City of Washburn , spoke in support of all proposals ex cept the quick response vehicle and voiced support for an ALS service. Ga y l e Gon s ior - Town of Port Wing, concerned with future of South Shore EMS and supported the opinion that a volunteer system is no longer sustainable. Al Krause - City of Washburn, encouraged the Board to choose a scalable model for the supplemental service as its need will increase within the coming years. Closed Session : At 4:52 p . m . , Crandall made a motion to enter into closed session, seconded by Milanowski. Abeles - Allison invited Meag a n Quaderer, Dr. Shultz and Dispatch Coordinator Ryan Matthews to join closed session. Roll call vote: Rosa – y es; Roguski – y es; Pocernich – y es; Sandstrom – y es; Ray – y es; Olsen – y es; Holte – y es; Milanowski – y es; Crandall – y es ; Lee – Yes; Fickbohm – Yes; Tucker – Yes; Strand – Yes. Yes - 13; No - 0; Absent - 0. Motion carried . Lee left the meeting at 5:32 p . m . At 6:09 p . m ., Pocernich made a motion to return to Open Session, seconded by Ray. Motion carried. 12 - Yes; 0 - No; Absent - 1. EMS Proposal Recommendation: Holte made a motion to pursue and discuss with the public a County Board recommendation to consider both the Ashland Fire Department and Essentia Health proposals, seconded by Olsen. Roll call vote: Tucker – yes; Roguski – yes; Ray – yes; Olsen – yes; Holte – yes; Rosa – yes; Sandstrom – yes; Fickbohm – no; Pocernich – no; Strand – yes; Milanowski – yes; Crandall – yes; Yes - 10; No - 2; Absent - 1. Motion carried . Future County EMS - Related Meeting Dates: Abels - Allison reviewed the two future meeting dates of Wednesday, July 22 nd at 6:00 p.m. at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center (to be held in - person only) and Thursday, July 23 rd at 6:00 p.m. (to be held remotely only). Next County Board Meeting: The next County Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Bayfield County Board Room and remotely. Adjournment: There being no further business to discuss, Strand adjourned the meeting at 6:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted Lynn M. Divine Bayfield County Clerk l md/ej t Copies of Bayfield County Resolutions may be obtained by contacting the Bayfield County Clerk’s Office at (715) 373 - 6100 The Bayfield County Code of Ordinances can be found at https://www.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov/752/County - Ordinances