The original Request for Proposals (RFP) for selection of the architectural firm was made by Utility director Dan Winkler in an undated document, and due no later than February 12, 2010. In that RFP Mr. Winkler does not use the city of Lake Geneva official e-mail address, but instead uses an address at Geneva on Line for “questions” about the bid.

McCormack & Etten’s fee is comprised of hourly charges not-to-exceed 7% of the project amount plus reimbursables. The firm will:

• Develop project plans and specifications for review by the City.
• Develop final project plans and specifications for bidding.
• Coordinate advertising and bidding the project.
• Attend bid opening, review bids….and give recommendation for the awarding of bids.
• Modify bid documents and develop final contract for approval.
• Provide detailed invoices for payment.
• Perform all other related services.

According to Jordan in a letter to the council “Both firms are very capable and would each do a good job for the city.” But the committee recommended Etten . Ken Etten was the only person to try and defend Bill Chesen’s antics in the fall of 2009, which brought the Lake Geneva Wisconsin’s government to a standstill, and he looked very uncomfortable doing it.

The bidding for this $900K project does not conform to policies and procedures  for RFP’s for the City of Lake Geneva.

Lake Geneva City Atty. Draper pointed out the council has three options in these matters.

1. Grant it.
2. Non-renewal, basically taking the license away.
3. Renew, but not grant license, withhold issuance till he pays all his back fees.

The council selected the last option, and withholds issuance till they pay all back taxes. Last year this matter prompted the council to pass an ordinance requiring all taxes to be paid before the issuance of any liquor license.

The taxes must be paid by all license holders by June 30^th.

This year the city clerk wants the council to require “constructive receipt” before any license will be issued. “What usually happens is they, and others, show up on June 30^th and they pay but (the check) does not clear.” The council went along with her suggestion and made it a condition before any license will be issued.

The Delavan City Council recently voted to deny the financially troubled Lake Lawn Lodge’s liquor license because of back taxes and bills owed.

Ownership of Lake Geneva White River trail lands

The White River Trail Project, envisioned in 1995, took a step closer to getting off the ground when the Lake Geneva City Council authorized an appraisal in order for Lake Geneva  to apply for a grant from the State of Wisconsin.

According to City Business Administrator Jordan, this 60 acre parcel of wetlands is environmentally sensitive land and the City first has to get an appraisal of the land in order to be eligible for a  50/50 matching grant from the State. Alderman Krause stated that the State has a lot of money set aside for this type of project and the City has $200K earmarked for land acquisition using TIF funds.

There are three different grants the DNR has available and they will determine which one the City can get.

The land would be in addition to the 37 acres the City already owns at Hillmore. It would be designated for bike/walking/ nature trails, environmental nature viewing and a place to launch canoes and kayaks on the very popular White river.

All aldermen voted in favor of the appraisal and applying for the matching grant from the State except for Alderman Tom Hartz. Hartz gave the specious excuse of voting against the appraisal and application because the City does not know the owner of the land and whether or not this portion would be for sale.Last year during the Smart Growth hearings Mr. Hartz believed the former Hillmore property should be designated low income housing.

According to Jordan, Wright, the developer that is in foreclosure, still owns the property and Kennedy Funding, who is the lender, has not completed the foreclosure process as yet.

The wetlands the Green Ribbon Committee wants the city to purchase is comprised of 60 acres still owned by Wright, 10 acres by Peller, and 7 acres of Knopfsky’s land.

Lake Geneva's Andy Gump

The Committee for the Beautification of Lake Geneva should really be called the Lake Geneva Concrete Committee, for their plans to “beautify” Flat Iron Park appears to involve a lot of concrete. This private group presented their plans on April 14th, 2010 to spend what appears to be over a million dollars of Tax Increment Finance (real estate taxes which are being diverted from the schools) to:

• Put speed bumps on Wrigley Drive and Center Street, despite the fact that traffic does not speed there and would make bicycling extremely hazardous.
• Put roundabouts at the Center St. boat launch & Wrigley Drive. This will allow for the eventual closure of Wrigley Drive.
• Building a new brick bypass road between Wrigley and Center St. through the park.
• Putting a “splash” public pool in the park. This would be better named a “pee” pool with little children “using” it during the day and Lake Geneva Wisconsin’s drunks “relieving” themselves at night.
• An elevated stage in the center of the park.
• A Ceremony Space/Ice Rink.
• Three piers with sixty boat slips in front of Andy Gump. This last “beautification” will make even old “Andy” LOL. Boat slips on the southeast shore of Lake Geneva without shore stations is asking for it from Mother Nature and result in a “great”  (sic) view of Lake Geneva.
• Removing the city boat slips from the Lagoon.
• Planting about $50K of  “perennials and shrubs”, so during Lake Geneva’s annual Venetian Festival, the carnival and beer tent patrons can have at them.
• Cutting down eight mature trees and the loss of 20 parking spaces.
• Squeeze in a series of concrete sidewalks throughout the park, or what is left of a park.

Several alderpersons in attendance questioned Grace Eckland, the person who presented the plans, about who exactly on the committee put the boat slips in front of old Andy, and who put the roundabouts in the plan. Grace Eckland refused to say, only that it was “WE”.

Alderperson Mary Jo Fesenmaier stated that the council would have to look at the project and decide. Then Dan Winkler from the Utility Department stated the plan has already been approved. It has not. Park Board President Alan Kupsik tried to make this “presentation” an official Park Board Meeting, so as to approve it. This did not fly. I guess “They” were hoping a different mayor would be elected in the recent election who would promote this pork barrel project.

The Committee’s plans call for doing this in multiple stages so as not to have to need voter approval via referendum.

Several members of this private group where in attendance, they are various contractors and relatives such as Mrs. Tom Jacobs of Otto Jacobs Ready Mixed Concrete. The Committee for the Beautification of Lake Geneva is registered to a Lake Geneva post office box by Richard Torhorst. Attorney Torhorst is also a member of another private group that doesn’t have to pay taxes, The Geneva Lake Development Corp.

Who will really benefit from this “beautification”?

• Not the tax payers who will have to pay for it and ultimately have to pay for it’s costly maintenance.
• Not local residents who need Wrigley Drive and Center Street to get across town.
• Definitely not the local downtown merchants, who surely will feel the effects of the closing of Wrigley Drive and the added traffic to Center Street.

Beside the concrete companies, the big winner in this so called “beautification project” will be the Cove of Lake Geneva who will have very accessible boat slips, an “event area”, a public pool, and easier lakefront access—all at taxpayer expense. The same Cove of Lake Geneva which has been very late three years in a row turning over to the city the room taxes they collect.

Jim Conners was elected as Mayor of Lake Geneva in the April 6, 2010 Spring election, he defeated Scott Storms 973 to 652.

Other election results:

“I want to get back to where the eight council members run this city. Not the fire department, not a church, not a bunch of developers, not Mr. Winkler.” stated former alderman Bill Huntress at the Committee of the Whole on 2.1.10.

During the special election in December, uniformed firemen, were according to Huntress, “going around in the 3^rd district rapping on peoples doors asking them who they were going to vote for, and telling them who to vote for….They were out campaigning against a setting alderman ( Mayor Chesen’s nemesis Tom Spellman) …..This is absolutely unethical, I’m not blaming the firemen, I’m blaming the Chief Connelly and the President of the Police and Fire Commission Mr. Storms……I know it’s unethical… and I’m trying to figure out if it is ignorance or arrogance or both.”

Huntress stressed that, “maybe Mr. Storms can explain the difference between ignorance and arrogance.”

Fire Chief Brent Connelly made it perfectly clear that “I don’t condone any political activity of anyone in fire department uniform. John Peters the head of the union also doesn’t condone any political activity in fire department uniform.”

“What was going on is our department has an active smoke detector program we offer to replace the batteries or put up a smoke detector in those neighborhoods.”

Tom Spellman was recalled for “not voting according to his constituents” in that special election. His replacement, Bill Motts, was recently appointed to the personal committee by Mayor Chesen on 2.22.10. The Personal Committee is in the process of negotiating the union labor contracts of the Police, Fire, Street, and Office employees for the next three years.

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin’s popular reality cable TV show over the appointment of Spyro Condos continues to entertain residents when, during the last city council meeting of 2009, another attempt was made to fill the council seat vacated in July by Gary Dunham.

Perhaps the city should consider syndicating the show on a national level, it surely could compete with reality shows like Real Housewives of New Jersey. Lake Geneva’s cable access channel 25 is only available locally and it’s increasing popularity may be reflected in a 47%  increase of cable TV franchise fees collected in 2009.

The real drama to the council meeting didn’t begin until 9:40 pm when Mayor Chesen, in anticipation to the next item on the agenda, gave the following opinion of the court agreement reached between his political opposition and himself.

1. His charges were withdrawn ” without prejudice”. ( dismissal “without prejudice” allows a new suit to be brought on the same cause of action.)
2. Spryo Condos would resign with an election for the vacant seat taking place in April 2010.
3. Lake Geneva’s  insurance company would make good on any back pay for the four alderman he tried to kick out.
4. There would be no pay for the lawyers involved trying to defend the aldermen he tried to remove.
5. There would be no action by the city council on any personal matters involving city clerk Dykstra and business administer Jordan in the original statements they made regarding this matter.
6. The spirit of Mr. Condo’s resignation was violated in his resignation statement where he stated “he was looking forward to being reappointed.”
7. Mayor Chesen took the resignation of Mr Condos and the election in April at face value.

The Mayor believes the reappointment of Mr. Condos before the April election was planned all along, and threaten “repercussions” if his interpretation of the court agreement is different than his political opposition’s.

Alderman Spellman said the mayor’s statement has “no truth in significant parts….It was inconceivable that you (Mr. Chesen) would represent to the public what went on from that point of view.” He wants the court agreement read into the record.

Alderperson Roehrer made a motion to appoint Stew Mathison to fill the vacate seat till April. It died for the lack of a second.

Marsala doesn’t want the seat filled till April, it is not” worth rekindling this fire and starting this war.”

Krause pointed out ” it is your call, but it seems like political suicide to me.”

Alderperson Krohn made a motion to appoint Spyro Condos with Alderperson Fesenmaier seconding it.

Voting to appoint Condos: Krohn, Fesenmaier, Spellmen
Voting against : Marsala, Krause, and Roehrer (strongly against)
Mayor Chesen voted against.

A very upset Aderperson Roehrer could not understand why her motion to appoint Stew Mathison was not seconded by anyone.
Mayor Chesen speculated “that maybe there was another agreement to do it differently.”

The Mayor pointed out “there are only six meeting till April, that is what we are fighting about.”

Alderman Spellman, who being recalled gave a very passionate speech below.

Property Tax Demon

The city of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin balanced their 2009 budget with the last of it’s 2006 bond issue proceeds. Residents will be paying off one bond issue till 2010, and making payments on the other till 2016.

In 2006 Lake Geneva floated one bond issue of $4.39M with level payments amortized over 10 years and another issue of $1.11M  that will be paid off in March of 2010. The last of  the proceeds of those bonds were spent in 2009 for capital projects. For example the politically powerful Lake Geneva Fire Department purchased another ambulance (resulting in four) at $140K by raiding a sinking fund for equipment purchases in 2012.

Despite earlier assurances by Finance Chairman Alderman Krause that taxpayers that will see no increase, Lake Geneva’s (LG) portion of your real estate tax bill will increase 3.6% in 2010.The consumer price index for all urban consumers has decreased .2% in the last 12 months.

Chairman Krause reported that over $1M in requests for capital purchases were axed in the 2010 budget, except $70K for roads and $200K for new technology (ProPhoenix) which will help the the Lake Geneva Police Department comply with a new State of Wisconsin mandate for all electronic reporting.

Finally after 15 years one of LG’s two TIF districts was closed, TID #3 (Geneva Lake Developments Corporation’s). The closing of the district added almost $100K in revenue to LG’s bottom line, helping to mitigate revenue losses in other areas like parking fees, room tax, interest income.

It is unclear if the 2010 budget allows for a increase in salaries for  city personal subject to union contracts.The union contracts for Fire, Police, Street, and Office workers expires  on 12.31.2009. City management (staff), not subject to union contract, will receive no salary increase.

Spyro Condos believed staff should get an increase of 3%; that it is “demoralizing” to not give them a raise when others are getting raises. Mr. Condos questioned why the city was going to write off between $300K – $400K  in open accounts receivables . According to Mayor Chesen if staff had gotten raises, that would have resulted to over $100K increase in city expenditures.

Alderperson Roehrer is bothered with passing a budget when the audit for 2008 has not been completed. The new city Controller needed help in catching up with the books that were not kept up by the prior Controller, but according to Roehrer the council was not notified of her need for help until recently.

A big variable in next years budget is the Undesignated Reserve Fund (URF) balance which will not be known till the audits of 2008 and 2009 is completed. Comptroller Pollitt is not a fan of reducing the URF down to the bare minimum. The URF has three components:
1. As a cash flow cushion between when the city receives property tax payments.
2.As a rainy day fund in case of unexpected emergencies.
3.As a indicator of a municipalities financial health.

Business Administrator Jordan pointed out that LG has had the ability to tap into revenue from the lake front and parking funds. In 2001 the city took 25% of the revenue from these funds for general fund expenses, the rest went into reserve; for the 2010 budget all of their revenue went into the general fund. Health insurance costs for the city increased 8% in 2009. The 2010 budget started with the assumption there would be no furloughs or reduction of city services.

The breakdown Lake Geneva Wisconsin’s real estate tax bill:

• City: 3.6% increase

• State: 5.3% increase

• County: 3.5% increase

• LG joint 1 schools: 5.1% increase

• Gateway Tech.: 6.4% increase

• LG/Genoa school: 2.4% increase

Voting for the city 2010 budget: Tolar, Krohn, Marcella, Krause,and Roehrer (reluctantly).
Voting against the budget increase: Spellman, and Fesenmaier.

On 11.25.2009 Walworth County Judge Gibbs in a pretrial conference of a lawsuit filed against Mayor Chesen came to an agreement that all the elected alderpersons that the Mayor “suspended” from office in September 2009 would be returned so the “ city could present united front in the event or the face of litigation in federal court.”

In the Court’s own words: “Everyone agreed it would be an appropriate lubricant if I were to give Mr. Condos a call and I will tell you this that Mr. Condos graciously, for the good of the city, indicated that he would tender his resignation as First District alderman with the proviso that it only need be in such a fashion that would allow him to be eligible to run for the First District aldermanic position and/or mayor…”

Of course this agreement did not come easily. To begin with the pretrial conference was originally to take place on 11.16.2009, but Mayor Chesen couldn’t attend due to a trip to Florida . Then someone (it is not yet clear who) contacted Wisconsin’s Attorney General to try to scuttle the whole mediation, claiming it would be a violation of the open meeting law. In the past Mayor Chesen has contacted the Attorney General and the Walworth Co. District Attorney to try to get them to charge the four alderpersons he had suspended with an open meeting violation; both declined his request, despite the fact that they do prosecute open meeting violations.

At the city budget hearing on 11.30.2009 Mayor Chesen and District One Alderman Krause tried to convince the city council to hold a special election for the now vacated Aldermanic District One prior to the April 2010 general election, contrary to the court agreement. The council voted unanimously to hold the election in April. Alderman Krause is up for reelection in April.

Mayor Chesen being Chesen couldn’t help himself by including in his order, rescinding his suspensions, taking a dig at his political opposition by calling the appointment of Spyro Condos “illegal” and stating that Mr. Condos agreed to resign his seat “based on his improper appointment”. No court, prosecutor, or any of the three Attorneys representing Lake Geneva in this matter has ever found that Mr. Condos was appointed illegally or improperly. They are innocent, just like every American, until proven guilty in a court of law.

In his resignation Spyro Condos, not to be out done, got some digs in about filling past vacancies at the City Council and School Board.  Stating that Bill Chesen,Ron Weber, Dick Folman,Bob Fleming, Pete Bolt, Gary Dunham (twice), Todd Krause had been appointed to the City Council and Bea Dale, who is behind the current recall against Alderperson Spellman and Mr. Condo’s recall when he was Mayor, was appointed to the school board without a special election.

According to Harbor Master Chuck Gray the city would have no problem renting the slips and buoys, “there is a 5 to 8 year wait for slips.” The demand is just as high for buoys because the city policy of giving persons who currently are renting buoys preference for slips when they become available.

City residents are unhappy with the city subsidizing (also known are corporate welfare) Marina Bay, Lake Geneva Boat Line and Gage Marine. William Trester thought last year would be the last year the city rented to these businesses. He is especially unhappy with Marina Bay renting our buoys out to make money which with to sue us. Marine Bay is suing the city to prevent it from enforcing the 100 ft. pier head ordnance. The market price for boat slips is between $4,000 and $8000/year. Gage Marine is currently paying $1883/year/boat slip.

Marsala believes there are not enough dinghy ramps to accommodate giving residents the buoys, but as the photo below shows, ramps were put next to the pier when Gage Marine rebuilt it in 2008/9.

Kent Martiski the President of Lake Geneva Boat Line (Elmer’s) want the city to give them a three year lease. He stated at council meeting on 11.23.09 that “The city was barely able to fill the available West End pier spaces this year…….and there is now a minimal waiting list, that’s if there is any waiting list, I am not sure at this point.” Spyro Condo wants to give all three corporations a three year lease.

Marina Bay Boat rental would once again get 10 buoys. Gage Marine would get 4 buoys and 10 boat slips to re-lease. Lake Geneva Boat Line, Inc would get 10 buoys and 4 boat slips.