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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Butler Volunteer Fire Department

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 391087976
WI · NTEE M24Z
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Lukas D Trudell, Executive Director / CEO ($34,503) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 193 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 85th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

How comparable organizations were selected

193 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 193 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$137 total compensation of comparable organizations → $191,202 $34,503
$1,09210th
$2,11025th
$6,104Median
$22,02675th
$46,37990th
$34,503This org · 85th
p10$1,092
p25$2,110
p50$6,104
p75$22,026
p90$46,379
$34,503

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to WI cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateTotal revenueTotal compSource
Mountain Top Fire Company IncPA $393,046$6,616 990
Gardner Lake Volunteer Fire Company IncCT $393,064$8,080 990
Saxis Volunteer Fire Company IVA $391,443$1,078 990
Fairmont Fire Department Relief AssocMN $386,302$17,551 990
Hospital Foundation Of Decatur CounIN $385,935$24,957 990
Derry Twp Vol Fire Dept Of BradenvillePA $383,797$464 990
Moon Twp Volunteer Fire CoPA $401,749$3,849 990
Deep Branch Volunteer Fire Department IncNC $382,825$6,093 990
Leaksville Volunteer Fire DeptNC $402,463$40,204 990
Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department IncTN $380,760$36,431 990
Cedar Grove Fire Department IncNC $379,270$64,466 990
Mcmechen Volunteer Fire DepartmentWV $378,943$15,227 990
Northampton Township Volunteer Fire Relief AssociationPA $378,327$2,110 990
Tyler County Emergency Squad Unit 1WV $407,095$36,232 990
Haysi Rescue SquadVA $376,683$25,000 990
Bay Shore Fire DepartmentNY $374,451$4,202 990
Darien Center Chemical Fire Company IncNY $374,264$5,191 990
Fire Family FoundationCA $411,372$29,694 990
Delhi Volunteer Fire Department IncLA $371,331$46,605 990
Ridgecrest Volunteer Fire Dept IncNC $368,905$8,938 990
Conneaut Lake Volunteer FirePA $368,647$3,133 990
Lanes Creek Volunteer Fire Department IncNC $367,820$8,251 990
Pittsford Volunteer FireNY $416,878$1,849 990
Shoemakersville Fire Company No 1PA $416,935$13,970 990
Orr's & Bailey Islands Fire DepartmentME $367,598$6,285 990

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to WI cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default85th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)82nd
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted85th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted84th

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Lukas D Trudell) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 193 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (M24), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $34,503 is reasonable (approximately the 85th percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.