relative to establishing a small business tariff stabilization fund.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Debra Altschiller and 6 co-sponsors

Raises the compensation cap for volunteers who may hold elected municipal office: $35,000 (pop. ≤5,000) and $25,000 (pop. >5,000), preserving compatibility rules.

Inexpedient to Legislate, MA, VV === BILL KILLED ===; 01/29/2026; SJ 2

Purpose / Intent

The bill updates the statutory “compatibility” exception that allows certain emergency volunteers to hold elective municipal office despite the general common‑law doctrine forbidding dual offices that may conflict. It raises the maximum annual compensation thresholds (including fringe benefits) that a volunteer fire fighter, emergency medical services practitioner, or emergency medical responder may receive and still be eligible to hold elective office in the same city, village, or town.

Key provisions

Amends Wis. Stat. § 66.0501(4)(a).

Increases the permissible annual compensation (including fringe benefits) for volunteer emergency personnel who may also hold elective municipal office:

From $25,000 to $35,000 in municipalities with population ≤ 5,000.
From $15,000 to $25,000 in municipalities with population > 5,000.

Retains language clarifying it is compatible for elected village or town officers to receive certain wages under other statutes (s. 60.37(4) or 61.327) for work they perform for their municipality.

Who is affected

Primary: volunteer fire fighters, EMS practitioners, and emergency medical responders who receive pay from municipal or related service positions and who seek or hold elective office in the same municipality.

Secondary: municipalities (cities, villages, towns) that employ, reimburse, or otherwise compensate volunteer emergency personnel; candidates and elected local officials; voters concerned with conflicts of interest or public trust.

Legal/community stakeholders: municipal attorneys, election officials, ethics/advisory bodies assessing compatibility questions.

Practical effect and impact

Expands the pool of compensated volunteers who may legally serve in elective municipal offices without triggering incompatibility concerns under the doctrine of compatibility.

Aimed at accommodating municipalities that compensate volunteers at higher levels, particularly smaller municipalities where volunteer service may be a more significant source of income.

The statutory change is procedural/threshold-based and does not alter the underlying compatibility doctrine or other conflict‑of‑interest rules; actual compatibility questions may still turn on duties and relationships between the two offices.

The author’s materials reference a local fiscal estimate; the amendment itself does not create direct state appropriations. Fiscal impact on municipalities is expected to be minimal (the change affects eligibility for office, not compensation or municipal budgets).

Legislative/procedural timeline (selected)

Introduced: February 20, 2025 (Senate).

Passed both houses and enrolled; approved by Governor October 7, 2025.

Chaptered as Chapter 457, Statutes of 2025.

For municipal counsel or candidates: review local policies and the duties of the offices in question before relying on the compensation thresholds alone; incompatibility can still be found based on the functional relationship between positions.

Bill