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Town of Geneva Meeting Minutes
Oct 12, 2009

TOWN OF GENEVA
MONTHLY BOARD MEETING
OCTOBER 12, 2009

Chairman Lauderdale called the duly posted and noticed meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance. In attendance were Lauderdale, Supervisors Fahey, Kukla, Kamps, and Millard, Building Inspector Boss, Attorney Harvey, and Administrator Downing. Six people signed the attendance sheet. Clerk/Treasurer Kirch took the minutes of the meeting.

Motion (Millard/Kamps) to approve the minutes from September 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, 2009. Approved 5 0. Motion (Kamps/Millard) to approve the Treasurer’s Report as presented. Approved 5 0. Balances reported as of September 30, 2009:

ASSETS SEPTEMBER 2009
10003 LGIP Savings 742,761.32 Total Income 2,634,086.32
10007 Money Market Account 22,794.10 Total Expense 2,648,486.35
10013 Chase Tax Checking Account 2,899.90 Net Income -14,400.03
10015 Chase High Yield Savings Acct 201,939.82
1100 – General Checking 64,991.86
Total Checking/Savings 1,035,387.00

Motion (Kamps/Fahey) to approve bills from 09/12/09 through 10/09/09. Approved 5 0. No action needed at this time on the resolution to borrow funds per the 2009 budget.

Administrator’s Report –
• Employee Handbook in hands of department heads. They are to meet with their employees and any comments are due by October 23. Board members also received copy. Add to November agenda. Special thank you to Chairman Lauderdale and Supervisor Fahey.
• Budget workshops held. Every department willing to make concessions.
• Walworth County Zoning presented the Town of Geneva’s 2035 Smart Growth Plan here on September 29. Two residents voiced their questions and concerns for the Town’s future growth. One over the name of a creek and wetland area and one requested a change in zoning for a sub¬division. Walworth County will vote on this November 10.
• FunFestival netted approximately $20,000 in profit with 50% being voted for fire safety/equipment, and 25% each to the Park and Lake Committees. Looking into having this committee become a separate unit from the Town such as a service club.
• Series of meetings held for recoding of the ordinances.
• Municipal building progress report – due to no quorum, not able to hold meeting.

Public Comments –
• Dawn Greiner W3321 Park Drive – Neighbor who was instructed to mow his property hasn’t. Complaint to be given to the Police Department. Status on the Perez property will be included with the Building Inspector’s report.

Supervisor Kamps gave the Plan Commission Report –
• Attorney Todd Terry presented the rezone request for Ed Meltzer, W2530 Krueger Road, from C-2 to P-2 for 2.33 acres and a conditional use for an art foundation. Will be a few classes per week with the most 13 people per day at one time at the property. Dates of operation will be from April 1 to October 1 annually. Hours of operation from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Daily format will feature painters, sculptors, wood carvers, pottery, metal form artisans, musicians, and poets. Classes will be seven days per week with the majority held on Saturdays and Sundays. There will be six classes per week with five students per class. There will be 30 students per week with two instructors and one administrator. Will host two fundraising/recognition events per year, one in May and one in August and possibly one during the holidays. The foundation will not have outdoor concerts, no dormitories/ overnight housing, no rental hall usage, and no commercial/for-profit sales. There are traffic concerns, there will be no concerts. Van Lue received four calls objecting to the request, and Kamps also received many phone calls objecting to it. The Foundation has been in existence for a while. Plan Commission vote was a tie (3-3). Building Inspector Boss was called by Nick Sigmund from Walworth County zoning. A single-wide mobile home was moved onto the property, a septic system was started illegally. No zoning or building permits obtained for a living unit. The house on the silo was used as a living unit when it was supposed to be storage. A lot of work had been done to that. Building was applied for as a barn/accessory building, not as a commercial building to be used as an assembly hall. Already using in that capacity. No inspections were done for that purpose. Plans were never state approved. Not zoned for that. No occupancy granted for the building. Owner contin¬u¬ously makes changes to the property before obtaining permits or approvals. Motion (Kamps/Fahey) to deny the request for a rezone from C-2 to P-2. Approved 4-0.

• John Mikrut presented his request for a rezone from R-2 to B-2 for the property located at the corner of Walnut Road and County Hwy H. Plans are for a three-unit retail building. Currently commercial on both sides of the property. Neighbors (Mahoney and Baker) signed a paper stating they had no problems with his plans. Motion (Kamps/Millard) to approve the rezone from R-2 to B-2. Approved 4-0-1 (Lauderdale).
• Plan adjustments made to Longwood Subdivision on McDonald Road. Plan was previously approved by the Town, County, and DNR. The County has now comeback and revised the plan. Second pond and additional areas around the wetlands are needed. Separate documents will be recorded for each adjusted lot. Unanimously approved by the Plan Commission (6-0). Motion (Kamps/Lauderdale) to approve the plan adjustments for Todd O’Brien as submitted at the Plan Commission meeting. Approved 5-0. Attorney Harvey reviewed the issue with the Developer’s Agreement provided by O’Brien. Agreement was finalized with changes that Attorney Schuk has approved of. Plat has dedication of the road to the Town, but now that has changed. Road would be built to Town specifications and standards but would remain private. Motion (Kamps/Millard) to approve the Developer’s Agreement per the notes that Attorney Schuk provided to Attorney Harvey with the following condition: 1) Authorize Chairman Lauderdale to sign the Developer’s Agreement after receiving a recorded document showing no dedication of a road to the Town, in a form approved by the Town Attorney. Approved 4-1 (Lauderdale).
• Certified Survey Map reviewed for the house on the Como Community Church property at W3901 Palmer Road. The house would be put back on the tax roll. Motion (Lauderdale/Kukla) to approve the Certified Survey Map for the house at W3901 Palmer Road (Como Community Church). Approved 4-0-1 (Kamps).
• Audrey Boss gave her report. Permits issued – 23. Reviewed the dilapidated properties list. Doesn’t look like the Conde property at N3171 Willow Road will be razed.

Motion (Fahey/Lauderdale) to move the Park Commission report above the Police Department on the agenda. Approved 4-0.

Committee Reports –
• Park Commission (Packard) – Parks budget proposal distributed and reviewed. Need $3,000 from their nonlapsing account. Terri Sundberg is coming back to run the Garlic Mustard Fest as committee chair. Motion (Lauderdale/Fahey) to approve the requests of the Park Commission with the condition that our budget allocated in those funds does pass public hearing and this body at our November public budget hearing. Approved 5-0. Intend to apply for a $5,000 Urban Forestry Grant for Buckthorn removal. Grant requires backup plan. Came up with Emerald Ash Borer inventory. Motion (Lauderdale/Kamps) to approve the application to apply for that grant. Approved 5-0. Workday for DLNT scheduled for October 24 at 8:00 a.m. for putting in placards on sign posts. Will hike across the berm and look for a plan for making that a more useful trail.
• Police Department (Kukla) – Nothing to report.
• Lake Como Sanitary District (Fahey) – Rate increase of 2% and 3%. Three applications received for Commissioner. Motion (Kamps/Millard) to table until November meeting to give the District Commissioners time to talk to the applicants. Approved 5-0.
• Municipal Court (Hall) – Municipal Court report given.
• Fire Department (Lauderdale) –
a) Reviewed the two hardship requests received. Motion (Kamps/Millard) to approve the hardship request for Sturgeon. Approved 5-0. Motion (Kamps/Kukla) to approve the hardship request for Weiss. Approved 5-0.
• Highway Department (Millard) – Nothing to report. Just waiting for it to snow.
• Lake Committee (Kukla) – Going to act on the South Shore Boat Launch project at the October 29 meeting. Worked on long-term and short-term goals. All three members of the Lake Committee up for reappointment (Kulik, Kukla, Woelky) want to remain on the committee. Motion (Lauderdale/ Kamps) to reappoint all three members (Kulik, Kukla, Woelky) to the Lake Committee for another two-year term, November 2009 – November 2011. Approved 4-0-1 (Kukla). Acceptable behavior of committee members should be address in the Lake Committee By-Laws.
• School District Report (Fahey) – Schools are dealing with cutbacks in state aid. We’re going to get hid hard. Discussed equalized values on sheet distributed by Walworth County.

Motion (Kamps/Kukla) to send a donation of $500 to the Lake Geneva YMCA. Approved 5-0.

Contract for Assessor expires at the end of the year. Motion (Kamps/Millard) to give the Town Chairman, Administrator, or Clerk/Treasurer the authority to get bids for assessor services. Approved 5-0.

Revised Ordinance #38 and Resolution #151 Fee Schedule regarding Operator and Dog Licenses. Increasing fees for Operator Licenses to $30 for the two-year term, plus an additional $7 for the background check, and increasing the Dog License fees to $10 altered and $15 unaltered. Motion (Kamps/Millard) to approve the revisions to Ordinance #38 and Resolution #151 Fee Schedule. Approved 5-0.

Motion (Lauderdale/Kamps) to approve the Original Operator License for Diane McCarten and the Renewal Operator License for Lisa Lisowe. Approved 5-0.

Attorney Harvey reported that he continues to work on the recodification of our ordinances. There is a 90-day stay on the Conde raze order. May be able to repair. Ronald Miller’s last appeal was dismissed. Assessment issued by the LCBPOA against the Town was dismissed. Assisting with the employee handbook.

Motion (Millard/Kamps) to adjourn at 8:51 p.m. Approved 5 0.

_____________________________________
Chairman Lauderdale

_____________________________________
Chairman Kamps Supervisor Millard

_____________________________________
Supervisor Fahey Supervisor Kukla

Respectfully submitted,

______________________________________
Debra L. Kirch, CMC/WCMC Clerk/Treasurer

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