As the 2022 boating season draws to a close with the cold fall and the first snow showers heralding winter, Fontana Village Council administrators are already looking ahead to next year’s warm weather boating season on Lake Geneva.
trustees on October 3 contracts approved for various Lake Geneva services provided to the Village of Fontana speak Lake Geneva Environment Agencythe Law enforcement service of Lake Geneva and the Lake Geneva Water Safety Patrol.
Fountain the administrators approved an unchanged $35,000 budget request Williams Bay-based Lake Geneva Environment Agency (GLEA) in support of its 2023 operations.
A shared unit of the local governments of the cities of Linn and walworththe Villages of Fountain and Williams Bay and the City of Lake GenevaGLEA works to protect, preserve, enhance and maintain the quality of the resources of the 5,262-acre Lake Geneva and its 13,045-acre watershed through monitoring, protection and education efforts.
The board also approved a $73,000 budget request Fountain-based Law enforcement service of Lake Geneva (GLLEA), also known as Lake Geneva Policefor 2023 patrol and law enforcement activities on Lake Geneva.
All agency agents are certified law enforcement officers with the state of wisconsin. Lake Geneva Police consists of 15 officers, a sergeant and the commander, as well as a part-time secretary/treasurer.
Fontana’s The 2023 contract with GLLEA is up 16% compared to $63,000 this year, and until $45,000 two years ago.
During board discussions, the trustee Stanton Livingstone noted that “fuel costs are rising” for Lake Geneva Police to power its two patrol boats, which operate from April to October each year.
In addition, the village president patrick keny noted that GLLEA had to “raise salaries” to competitively attract law enforcement officers to join its ranks, adding that GLLEA also “spent funds” in 2021 as it moved its headquarters from base of Williams Bay at Fontana beach.
Curator Rick Dads noted that Lake Geneva Police had also engaged in “heavy overtime”, citing a number of “major incidents” on Lake Geneva.
Established in 1968, GLLEA’s operations are funded by the Village of Fontana, Village of Williams Bay, City of Lake Geneva and the town of Linn, with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reimbursing up to 75% of operating costs.
The village administrators also approved a $43,860 agreement with the Williams Bay-Based Lake Water Safety Patrol for 2023 operations.
village administrator Therese Loomer noted that the 2023 Water Safety Patrol contract represented a “slight increase” over the current contract.
Fontana’s The 2023 contract with the Water Safety Patrol is a 5%, $1,831 increase from the current contract rate.
The Water Safety Patrol, a private non-profit organization founded in 1920, has a mission to keep Lake Geneva safe and enjoyable through three main branches of operations: surveillance; educational programs including swimming lessons and water safety lessons; and boat patrols on the lake.
Set of informative town halls
Set of Trustees Saturday October 22 at 10am as the date and time of a public information meeting on upcoming events in the village November 8 Referendum on the financing of the EMS.
An additional public information meeting was then scheduled for Thursday, November 3 at 6 p.m.
The two information meetings will take place at the town hall of Fontana, 175 Valley View Drive (State road. 67).
In 2017, Fountain voters approved a referendum for $250,000 for 24/7 EMS service. In 2019, the Fontana Fire Department began to provide paramedic level services. The November 8 referendum issue calls for additional funding to support paramedic level EMS service in the village to meet rising equipment and labor costs.
The following yes-no question will appear in Fountain at the back of the November 8 fall general election vote:
“Under state law, the increase in the levy of the Village of Fontana that the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2023, is limited to 0.999%, which results in a levy of $4,196,047. Is the Village of Fontana be permitted to exceed this limit and increase the drawdown for the next fiscal year 2023, for the purpose of providing the Village with 24-hour emergency medical services, by a total of 16.160%, resulting in a drawdown of $4,874,124and on an ongoing basis, include increasing $678,077 for each future fiscal year? ยป
Additional information on the referendum and the public information meetings is available online at https://fontanaemsreferendum.org/.
Other news
In other developments at October 3 meeting, the Fontana Village Council:
approved one $157,000 tender for the repair of the roof of the village beach house at Fontana Beach on Lake Geneva.
approved one $9,936 request Burlington-based Wanasek Corp. for a three-way cost split for asphalt on brickler walk and South Lakeshore Drive.
Approved the expenses of $30,000 to subsidize increases in village employee health insurance costs. In council discussions, the village administrator Therese Loomer called the premium increases “rather significant”.
Approval of a request for a 2023 8% cost of living increase submitted by the village solid waste and recycling contractor, Whitewater-based John’s Disposal. The contract, which runs until 2026, contains a provision for annual increases in the cost of living. A local, family-owned and operated business, John’s Disposal provides residential and commercial waste disposal and recycling services to walworth, Root, Kenosha, Danish, Milwaukee, Jefferson, Rock and Waukesha counties.
Approved on $9,700 purchase of new beds and lockers casiers.com through Wayfair for use by Fontana Fire Department emergency medical services (EMS) personnel.
Approved an application for a conditional use license for Michael Keen for a second access point for the property located at 783 Indian Hills Drive.
Approved a sanitary sewer easement for the property located at 664 Upper Brookwood Drive.
Approved prohibiting the use of municipal equipment to fill swimming pools.
approved one Wisconsin Department of Transportation concept plan for a south side recreational pathway State road. 67 as part of a project March 2023 DOT Road Resurfacing Project.
Approved the removal of the deteriorating water fountain feature at Porter Court Plaza downtown Fountain. Porter Court Plazasupervised by the Fontana Parks Commissionis located between Mill Street and State road. 67 on Porter Court.
Took no action on a proposed ordinance amendment to Chapter 14-65 of the Village Ordinance Code governing the schedule of building permit fees.
Denial of a citizen’s request to waive late fees on a cost recovery bill.
We discussed planning for the village employee party in 2022, which is scheduled for Thursday, December 15 at The seaside resort of the Abbey.
