The Lake Geneva Municipal Minute

Featured Photo

Steve Maxwell of Lake Geneva took a picture of a balloon rising over Geneva Lake in the early hours of the morning. Steve snapped the picture on Sept. 7 from Library Park, and said he likes the simplicity of the image. Another photo of Steve's is included below.

Please send any pictures you'd like to see in the LGMM to newsletter@cityoflakegeneva.gov.

Musings from the Mayor

As we turn the calendar to October and the pace of our summer season begins to slow, there is still plenty happening throughout Lake Geneva—and plenty of work underway at City Hall.

We continue to work on the City’s 2027 operating budget, a process that will continue until its approval in November. At the same time, we are developing our next Capital Improvement Plan, including a three-year bonding plan and five-year capital forecast. Infrastructure remains a priority. For many years, investment in our streets has been deferred, and we need to work toward catching up. The same is true of our parks. Our Department of Public Works does an excellent job maintaining them, but several playgrounds and park facilities are due for reinvestment and updates. Balancing these needs with fiscal responsibility will be an important part of our planning.

October also brings plenty to enjoy in Lake Geneva. Dragon Days begins Friday, October 2, followed by the Fall Fantasy Festival October 3–4, celebrating Lake Geneva’s unique connection to Dungeons & Dragons and Gary Gygax. Oktoberfest festivities begin October 9, and City trick-or-treating will be held on Halloween, Saturday, October 31, from 3:00–6:00 p.m.

Finally, I have included the proclamation I presented at our September 28 Common Council meeting recognizing Police Chief Edward Gritzner, Lieutenant Seth Keller, and Officer Theon Ward for their extraordinary actions during the July 3 storm on Geneva Lake. I encourage you to read it. Their courage, selflessness, and commitment to protecting others represent public service at its very best.

Mayor Todd Krause

City of Lake Geneva

October 2026 Meetings

Listed below are the City's meetings for the month of October. Please check the municipal calendar on the city's website if you plan to attend a meeting to be certain nothing was moved or cancelled.

Meetings are held in the Common Council Chambers at City Hall, 626 Geneva Street, unless otherwise noted.

October 5 – 4 p.m. Personnel Committee

October 5 – 6 p.m. Committee of the Whole

October 8 – 4 p.m. Police and Fire Commission

October 8 – 6 p.m. Hillmoor Commission

October 12 – 6 p.m. Common Council

October 13 – 4 p.m. Historic Preservation Committee

           Conference Room 2C, City Hall

October 13 – 4 p.m. Tree Board

           Conference Room 2A, City Hall

October 13 – 5 p.m. Piers, Harbors and Lakefront Committee

October 13 – 6 p.m. Avian Committee

           Conference Room 2A, City Hall

October 15 – 5:30 p.m. Library Finance, Building & Grounds Committee

Smith Meeting Room, Lake Geneva Public Library

October 19 – 4 p.m. Utility Commission

October 19 – 6 p.m. Plan Commission

October 20 – 4 p.m. Tourism Commission

October 20 – 6:30 p.m. Board of Park Commissioners

           Conference Room 2A, City Hall

October 26 – 4 p.m. Public Works Committee

October 26 – 6 p.m. Common Council

Common Council vs

Committee of the Whole

City business in Lake Geneva is conducted between meetings of the Common Council, Committee of the Whole and committees. The entire Common Council consitutues the Committee of the Whole. There are differences in the functions of the two bodies.

Common Council

• This is the official governing body of a Wisconsin city.
• Members are the elected alderpersons plus the mayor (who typically presides but may have limited voting power depending on the city).
• The council meets in formal, regular sessions.
• Actions taken are binding: ordinances, resolutions, budgets, contracts, etc.
• Proceedings follow stricter rules: notice requirements, voting rules, quorum, and public records laws.

Committee of the Whole (COW)

• This is not a separate body—it is simply the entire common council meeting in committee form.
• Used when the council wants informal discussion, deeper review, or workshop-style meetings.
• The council can debate more freely, sometimes with looser rules than a formal session.
• No final action (like adopting an ordinance) is taken here.
• Instead, the committee makes recommendations to the full council, which later votes in a regular session.

Why use a Committee of the Whole

• To simplify committee structure when the topic affects everyone.
• To allow open discussion on complex issues (budgets, zoning changes, major projects).
• To avoid having to send items through multiple smaller committees.

Why use a Common Council

• Official, legally recognized governing body of a city in Wisconsin
• Exists to ensure city decisions are made in a structured, democratic, and accountable way

In Lake Geneva the Committee of the Whole meets at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of the month at City Hall in the Common Council chambers and the Common Council meets at 6 p.m. the second and fourth Monday of the month at City Hall in the Common Council chambers.

Fire Prevention Week

Fire Prevention Week is October 4–10."Charge into Fire Safety. Safety. Safe Charging is a Superpower" focuses on the everyday charging habits that can help reduce the risk of lithium-ion battery fires and keep homes and communities safer.

Along with charging safety tips for adults, the National Fire Protection Association offers kid-focused messaging to help children understand both the power and the potential dangers of lithium-ion batteries. These resources show kids how they can play an active role in staying safe whenever they use or charge devices at home or school. Click Sparky's picture for more information.

Dragon Days

Dragon Day Fall Fantasy Festival takes place October 3 & 4 in Lake Geneva. The celebration is held in honor of Gary Gygax, the creator of Dungeons & Dragons.

According to the festival's website Dragon Days is a fun-filled fantasy festival for families, fantasy fans, and gamers alike! This city-wide event celebrates Lake Geneva as the Birthplace of Fantasy.

Lake Geneva is the hometown of bestselling author, Gary Gygax, and birthplace of the world's first roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons®! It is also the home of Gary's original game company, TSR, that produced not only D&D but scores of popular games and hundreds of fantasy and sci-fi novels.

Events will be held at several venues throughout Lake Geneva, including Library Park, Geneva Theater, Geneva Lake Museum, 330 Center Street—Birthplace of D&D, Lake Geneva Public Library, American Legion Hall and Horticultural Hall.

Click the logo for more information on Dragon Days.

Prost!

Put on your lederhosen and get ready to party like you're in the middle of Bavaria Oct. 10-11 at Lake Geneva Oktoberfest.

New this year is the Oktoberfest Beer Crawl from 5-8 p.m. Oct. 9. More details are available at the Oktoberfest website.

The City-sponsored shuttle for Oktoberfest will run on Saturday & Sunday. Drop off/pick up locations and shuttle times can be found here on the Parking Services page on the City's website.

Fall Hard. Prost Harder. Lake Geneva Oktoberfest 2026.

One Fast Firefighter

City of Lake Geneva firefighter/paramedic Matthew Lacher finished third in the Men's Division of the Red Bull Rush Delivery Sept. 19. The Red Bull Rush Delivery is an annual high-speed competition in downtown Lake Geneva that turns our century-old mailboat jumping tradition into an adrenaline-fueled race. Competitors leap from a moving boat onto specially built docks, drop off mail and sprint back aboard before time runs out or the boat pulls away.

Fall Leaf & Brush Pickup

Fall brush pick up begins October 5 and continues until November 20th. Brush must be at the curb by 6 p.m. Nov 20 to be collected.

The City is no longer collecting debris from the July 3 storm at the curb. Anyone who needs to dispose of storm debris or yard waste must drop it off at the City's Public Works facility.

The facility is open from 5 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday, 6 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 5-9 a.m. Friday.

More information about leaf & brush pickup is available at the City's website.

Landmark Night at the Library - Oct. 22

The Lake Geneva Public Library invites anyone interested to Landmark Night at the Library, a celebration of Lake Geneva's first local Historic Landmarked Building.

The event begins at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Lake Geneva Public Library with a ribbon cutting with VISIT Lake Geneva. At 6 p.m. there will be an Open House in the newly renovated Smith Room and at 6:30 p.m. there will be a program on historic preservation and landmarking.

The program is presented by the Lake Geneva Historic Preservation Commission and marks the designation of the Lake Geneva Public Library as the first locally Landmarked building in the City of Lake Geneva.

Ken Etten and Chris Brookes will speak during the program. Etten has served as Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission since its inception in 1996 and worked as an architect in Lake Geneva for more than 30 years. Etten will discuss the mission and duties of the Commission and what it means to be a Certified Local Government (CLG). A pillar of the community, Ken has dedicated much of his career to saving historic buildings and preserving Lake Geneva's history for future generations.

Chris Brookes, a member of the Historic Preservation Commission since 2018 and Outreach Coordinator of Black Point Estate and Gardens, grew up in a historic house in the Maple Park Historic District. Brookes, a longtime advocate for preservation, will also speak and describe how individuals can protect their own historic home through the Landmarking process and share the story of the library's selection as the city's first Landmarked building.

Button Bay at Sunset

Eileen LeFevre submitted this picture of an early September sunset on Button Bay.

Please send any of your pictures you'd like to see in the LGMM to newsletter@cityoflakegeneva.gov.

Walworth County Clean Sweep

Don't miss your chance to dispose of hazardous household items and more at Walworth County’s Clean Sweep.

The event takes place from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Friday, October 2 and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, October 3 at Walworth County Public Works, W4097 County Road NN, in Elkhorn. Registration is not required.

On October 2 residents may dispose of household hazardous waste. Acceptable hazardous waste products are those labeled caustic, acid, flammable, danger, warning, or poison.

On October 3 residents may dispose of household hazardous waste plus electronics, TVs, appliances, and tires.

Find a full list of the items we accepted at www.co.walworth.wi.us/1283/Acceptable-Unacceptable-Items

The event is open to Jefferson, Walworth, and Waukesha County residents.

Disposing of household hazardous waste is free. Most electronics, appliances, and computers can be recycled for free with the following exceptions (all are cash only):

• TVs: $10 each
• Computer monitors: $5 each
• Mini fridges, small AC units, and dehumidifiers: $5 each
• Refrigerators and freezers: $10 each
• Tires with 20-inch rims or smaller: $5 each for tires without rims and $10 each for tires with rims.

Find all the details at Walworth County's website

The Weather Outside Is ...

We know you don't want to think about such frosty topics, but snow is closer than you think.

Sidewalk snow removal is important to the safety and convenience of the many people using our city sidewalks for transportation each day, including school children, mail and newspaper carriers, walkers, and runners.

Property owners must remove snow from the sidewalk within 24 hours of a snow event. In the Central Business District property owners must remove snow within 12 hours.

More information on snow removal in Lake Geneva is available at the City's website.

Parks Foundation - Members Needed

Join us and help build something Lake Geneva will love for generations.

Lake Geneva's parks, lakefront and open spaces aren't just amenities. They are the heart of our community. And for the first time, we're building a dedicated organization to invest in them.

The Lake Geneva Parks Foundation is forming now, and we're looking for people who care deeply about this community to join its founding board.

What you'll do: help raise private funds for park improvement, set priorities alongside the Parks Director, and make sure our parks reflect what this community values today and 50 years from now.

We'd love to hear from people with backgrounds or connections in finance, law, marketing, real estate, hospitality, philanthropy or community organizing. But if your passion is simply Lake Geneva itself, that matters, too. This board will be built on a mix of skills and shared love for our city. The Lake Geneva Parks Foundation is a nonprofit in formation and independent of the City of Lake Geneva.

Since posting this notice in the August 15 edition of the LGMM a few individuals volunteered to be part of the foundation, but more members are needed. If you are interested, reach out to the Mayor's Office at mayor@cityoflakegeneva.gov.

David Winger, Parks Director

Placement of Political Signs

There are some simple guidelines to follow in the City of Lake Geneva regarding placement of political signs.

• Campaign signs may be placed beginning on the first day for circulation of nomination papers through election day (WI Stat §12.04)
• Signs shall be removed within 10 days of election day (Lake Geneva Municipal Code §98-811(3.A))
• Signs must be located entirely on private property, and not in any street terrace or other portion of the right-of-way (Lake Geneva Municipal Code §98-805 (3)c)
• Yard signs may not exceed 11sq ft. (WI Stat §12.04)
• Guidelines are directed towards temporary campaign yard signs.
• Signs that are affixed to buildings or permanent structures may be subject to City of Lake Geneva Zoning Code: Signage Regulations 

The 2026 Wisconsin fall general election is November 3. More information is available at MyVote Wisconsin.

Hwy 50 Website

A website devoted to the Hwy 50 construction in 2027 and 2028 is now live on the city’s webpage.

The site can be accessed by

• Going under “Residents” at the banner at the top of the home page
• Clicking the Hwy 50 icon near the social media logos
• Clicking the heading under News Flash on the home page
• Clicking the illustration of orange cones and Hwy 50 sign in the slideshow on the home page

Feel free to bookmark the site and refer to it as your resource for all information related to the Hwy 50 construction project. The city will post information to the site as it becomes available.

Lake Geneva Wakes Up

Steve Maxwell submitted this picture of downtown Lake Geneva from Library Park in mid-September, and said he enjoyed how the yellow and pinks and reds played across the sky,

Please send any of your pictures you'd like to see in the LGMM to newsletter@cityoflakegeneva.gov.

Downtown Substation Construction

Parking Information

Construction on the downtown electrical substation behind the Lake Geneva Museum is scheduled from this fall through April of 2027. During this time, a portion of the Sage Street lot adjacent to the Museum will be reserved and temporarily unavailable. Space in the lot will be needed for construction activities, equipment and large deliveries.

Work will include demolition of the existing substation, installation of underground utilities, construction of the new substation walls and installation of the transformer. Above-ground construction is expected to continue through March of 2027, with the project anticipated to be done in April of 2027.

A section of the back row of the Sage Street parking lot, closest to the work location, will be reserved for the duration of the work. At various stages of the project approximately five to nine parking spaces in the center of the lot may need to be blocked for large construction loads. These closures may occasionally extend beyond the anticipated work window of Monday through Wednesday.

We appreciate the public's patience and cooperation while this important infrastructure project is completed. Parking availability in the area may be reduced at times, so visitors are encouraged to plan accordingly.

For more information on parking in Lake Geneva please check out the website of the City's Parking Services Department.

Beth Gehris-Padro

Parking Manager

Building & Zoning FAQ

Do I need a permit for my project?

Most construction, alterations, structural repairs, electrical, plumbing, HVAC work, and sign installations require a permit. Because rules vary by project, check the guidance chart on the city website.

What is my property zoned for, and what uses are allowed?

Zoning rules guide permitted land uses, building heights, lot coverage, and setback limits. You can look up your property's zoning classification using the City Zoning Map. The City Zoning Ordinance outlines all permitted and accessory uses for each district.

How long does the plan review and permit approval process take?

Review times depend on overall application volume and the details of your project. Every application is carefully evaluated to ensure safety and zoning compliance, with larger residential or commercial projects requiring input from several city departments. Because reviews involve multiple teams, turnaround times fluctuate and exact approval dates cannot be guaranteed.

When and how do I schedule required inspections?

Inspections are needed at specific milestones during your project (such as footings, rough-in work, and final approval).

• To Schedule: Call our dedicated inspection line at (262) 343-7230 or inspections@safebuilt.com. 
• When to Contact: Please request your inspection 24 to 48 hours in advance and ensure all work for that stage is completely finished before the inspector arrives.

Municipal Job Openings

The City of Lake Geneva and the fire and police departments are always looking for people committed to improving their community by working to help make it better. Job openings at the City and fire and police departments are found at the employment page on the City's website.

Additional Municipal Newsletters

The Hillmoor Commission and Lake Geneva Public Library also publish monthly newsletters. Anyone interested in the latest news and happenings at Hillmoor is encouraged to sign up and receive a monthly update in their Inbox by going to this link. Those who want to know more about the exciting programs and events at the Lake Geneva Public Library can sign up here.

Introducing City Staff

Beth Kroening started with Lake Geneva in April of this year as our Short-Term Rental Coordinator and Code Enforcement Officer. This is her first municipal job, and she is responsible for issuing licenses short term rentals licenses once all compliance requirements are met. 

As a Code Enforcement Officer she issues official warnings, notices of violations and citations to non-compliant property owners. Beth and her husband, Kirk, recently moved from Milwaukee to Williams Bay and have three adult children. Mitch lives in Milwaukee, Mason lives in Chicago and Eleanor resides in Waukee, Iowa. Beth enjoys exploring new restaurants and venues in the area, especially those with live music.    

Emily Kornak is our Librarian and started with the City in January of 2017. She previously worked in Barrington, Ill., Waukesha and Sharon. Emily provides strategic, financial, and operational leadership that keeps the library running: managing budgets, staff, facilities, programs, and collections while keeping the focus on the needs of residents and patrons. She does so in a building that is also a community center, warming and cooling site, classroom, event venue, and job and computer hub. Emily's day covers everything from troubleshooting the HVAC system to hosting a lifelong learning program to retrieving a story time toddler from beneath her desk. She lives in Sugar Creek with her husband, Pierre, their two dogs and a flock of backyard chickens. Emily enjoys reading, kayaking, hiking, home projects and visiting family out of state.

Newsletter Nuts and Bolts

Please contact the City at newsletter@cityoflakegeneva.gov if there is a topic you want to see addressed in an upcoming issue of the newsletter. The newsletter will be published twice a month from May to September and once each month from September to May.

Please click this link to sign-up for the newsletter if you received it from a friend and please feel to share this newsletter with a friend. On behalf of the City, thank you for helping launch this new initiative in communication with our beloved citizens.

Previous Newsletters

Recent editions of The Lake Geneva Municipal Minute are linked below.

The Lake Geneva Municipal Minute - September 1, 2026

The Lake Geneva Municipal Minute - August 15, 2026

The Lake Geneva Municipal Minute - August 1, 2026