Negotiations to merge the City of Delafield Fire Department into the Lake Country Fire Department, which now serves the villages of Nashotah and Chenequa, are expected to begin this summer.

Village presidents Richard Lartz of Nashotah and Bryce Styza of Chenequa said they will propose the formation of an exploratory committee to their respective villages trustees during meetings scheduled for next week.

Delafield Mayor-elect Ed McAleer said he will discuss the formation of the committee to study the feasibility of the consolidation with the Delafield Common Council at its April 21 meeting.

McAleer said he expects that Lartz and Styza will make a joint appearance at the Delafield Common Council on May 5 to discuss the organizational structure of the Lake Country Fire Department which was created six years ago by merging the Chenequa and Nashotah village fire departments.

The three elected chief executives agreed to form the exploratory committee after an hour of private discussions earlier this week at the Nashotah Village Hall.

The community leaders said that in order for the consolidation to become a reality they must find a formula that enables the three communities to equitably share the cost of operating the department.