LIVING HERE
Thou Shalt Not!
The neighborhood just east of the caboose development on Townline Road is in revolt. They don’t want vacation rentals. The development there only has one so far and the residents don’t like it one bit. The development homeowners have placed signs in their front yards that say: No Airbnb’s. That acronym really stands for vacation rentals, which are a growing problem across the USA, especially in resort areas.
The company that is helping Fontana and Williams Bay is asking Lake Geneva to hire them. Their initial investigation shows 78 vacation rentals registered in Lake Geneva but over 200 were discovered using their investigative tools. They need to be hired soon. It is also rumored that two alderpersons own vacation rentals but that is not confirmed yet. The departing ‘Flower’ city investigator of such things quit (he owns vacation rentals himself) to go to work for Mr. Pollard, the developer who builds some of them).
The GSR is thinking about starting a website called “Thou Shalt Not,” as an adjunct to its website so neighborhoods that are opposed to them have a voice and also so that renters can be warned away. Who wants to rent and try to enjoy a vacation in the middle of a nest of residents who don’t want you there?
Cell phone hell!
It’s actually gotten worse! The GSR has been writing for three years about the proven fact that most of the cell phone carriers have their towers turned off to save on electricity…giving what the government calls for: adequate coverage, instead of decent coverage. That loophole in the federal law that was back by nine billion dollars to erect the ugly cell phone towers in rural areas, has allowed these companies, all five of them, to not only violate federal law and bunch together as a monopoly but take in billions of dollars in profits they have only been entitled to by this slip of a pen when the bill was written.
Did you notice at the Venetian Fest, or last Fourth of July or other events where great crowds gathered that you could not make live videos or all out or receive calls whatsoever when everyone was gathered together? That’s because all of Lake Geneva’s nine cell phone towers are turned off. The city gets rental fees from those towers anyway so the city will do exactly nothing. Meanwhile, the community they represent suffers. The ad hoc communications committee was raised up early in Mayor Mayor’s administration (before she became hive queen mother aboard the alien Mother Ship) but once the committee kicked this problem over the city administrator, the idea of doing something (like taxing the cell companies out of their minds, which is allowed in the law, or getting rid of the ugly useless towers) the whole thing, including the communications committee died a very quick death.
Jabba the Hutt, overseeing the administration of Lake Geneva only needs a chain with an attractive woman attached to it, and he could fit right into the cast of Star Wars.
Here in Destin, Florida, we use the term “STR” for vacation rentals; means Short Term Rentals but there are lots of laws and rules they must follow including being registered and permitted with the city.
Are you tired of the noise and nuisance of party hotels in Lake Geneva? Do you feel like your voice is not heard by the city staff who are supposed to protect your quality of life? You are not alone! For three years, many residents have been complaining about the short-term rentals (STRs) that violate the city ordinance that prohibits rentals for less than one week. But nothing has been done to enforce the law, thanks to Jim Flowers, the zoning enforcement officer who turned a blind eye to the problem.
But there is hope! Alderman Fesenmaier has proposed a solution that would require the owners of STRs to live on the premises, just like in Madison, Wisconsin, where they have successfully solved the problem of party hotels. This would ensure that the owners are responsible for the behavior of their guests and respect the neighborhood. But City Attorney Dan Draper is dragging his feet on bringing this proposal forward, even though it has the support of many residents.
We need your help to make this happen! Please urge the city staff to adopt and enforce the Madison ordinance. Together, we can reclaim our peaceful and beautiful city from the party hotel invaders!