Special Tourism Commission Meeting — Minutes

July 21, 2026 Tourism Commission Minutes 1 City Of Lake Geneva Tourism Commission Minutes Tuesday, July 21, 2026 - 4:00 PM Lake Geneva City Hall; Council Chambers Call to Order Deputy Clerk Jahns called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. Roll Call Present: Daly, Pfeifer, Rowell, Fesenmaier Absent: Smith Ex Officio Members Present: Krause, PIsarcik, Klett Comments from the public limited to 5 minutes, limited to items on this agenda Heather Jones, independent contractor; spoke on item 8b. Election of Temporary Chairperson Deputy Clerk Jahns opened the floor to nominations. Daly nominated Pfeifer. No other nominations. Jahns closed floor to nominations. Pfeifer elected Temporary Chair on voice vote 4-0. Election of Officers Chairperson Temporary chair Pfeifer opened the floor to nominations. Daly nominated Pfeifer. No other nominations. Pfeifer closed floor to nominations. Pfeifer elected Chairperson on a voice vote 4-0. Vice Chairperson Pfeifer opened floor to nominations. Pfeifer nominated Daly. Daly accepted nomination. No other nominations. Pfeifer closed floor to nominations. Daly elected Vice-Chairperson on a roll call vote 4-0, with Daly, Pfeifer, Rowell, and Fesenmaier voting yes. Secretary Pfeifer opened floor to nominations. Daly nominated Rowell. Rowell declined the nomination. Pfeifer nominated Fesenmaier. Fesenmaier declined the nomination. Motion by Pfeifer to continue the election to the next meeting, second by Rowell. No discussion, motion carried 4-0 on a voice vote. Approval of the minutes from June 16, 2026 Motion by Day to approve, second by Rowell. No discussion. Motion carried 4-0 on a voice vote. Written Reports Discussion on the preference of Written vs Oral reports. General consensus of the Commission members is to have the reports be itemized on future agendas to allow for presentation. Heather Jones (Independent Contractor for Tourism Commission) Meet at the Lake Promotional Activity Motion by Pfeifer to suspend the rules to allow Heather Jones to present, second by Rowell. July 21, 2026 Tourism Commission Minutes 2 No discussion, motion carried 4-0 on a voice vote. Heather Jones presented her monthly report on various topics and activities. Discussion followed between Ms Jones and the Commission members regarding reporting and events. Tourism Entity (VISIT Lake Geneva) on Promotional Activity, Calendar, and Hotel performance Motion by Pfeifer to suspend the rules to allow Deanna Goodwin, VISIT Lake Geneva present, second by Daly. No discussion, motion carried 4-0 on a voice vote. Deanna Goodwin presented the VISIT Lake Geneva monthly report on various topics and activities. Discussion followed between Ms Goodwin and the Commission members regarding reporting and trends. Lake Geneva Business Improvement District (events and mission) No report given. Financial report regarding Room Tax Dollars Collected, Financials, current Budget & Disbursements, list of outstanding (unpaid) tourism grants awarded Questions and discussion between Commissioners regarding layout of the reports, budget line items, committed expenses, and how they affect the Commission's remaining balance for 2026. Discussion/Action on Tourism Promotional Grant Program and Requests: Maximum ten (10) minute presentation per request: Fat Tire Charity Ride; Dawn Marie Mancuso (continued from June meeting) Dawn Marie Mancuso presented the grant application for Fat Tire Charity Ride. Questions and discussion followed between Commissioners and Ms Mancuso regarding tourism commission requirements for digital and print materials, how a grant would grow the event leading to overnight stays, the timeline for this grant application, and the Commission's remaining funds. Klett suggested the commission consider approving a grant for a lesser amount for marketing that can still accommodate adding the Tourism Commission's logo and hotel listing url. Motion by Daly to approve a grant for the Social Media and Media Outreach amounts of the request, totaling $7000, second by Fesenmaier. Motion carried 4-0 on a voice vote. Bridal Expo; Celebration Management (continued from June meeting) Charlie Lorenzi, Celebration Management presented the application request. Questions and discussion followed between Mr Lorenzi and the Commission members regarding event details, the placement of the Tourism Commission logo on event materials, hotel inclusion, and expense details. Motion by Fesenmaier to approve grant in and amount not to exceed $30,000, second by Rowell. No discussion, motion carried 4-0 on a voice vote. Venetian Festival; Lake Geneva Jaycees Keith Felt, Lake Geneva Jaycees presented the grant application for Venetian Festival. Questions and general discussion followed between the Commissioners and Mr Felt regarding locations and specific events during Venetian Festival. Commissioners discussed 2026 financials, the grant amount given last year, and the timeline of this grant request. Motion by Fesenmaier to approve grant in the amount of $30,000, second by Rowell. Discussion followed regarding the amount. Motion carried 4-0 on a voice vote. Final Event Evaluation and Discussion on Recent Grant Recipients and Future Action-None Discussion/Action regarding Tourism Grant Guide to set potential parameters for the number of years and maximum grant reimbursement (continued from June meeting) Commission members discussed regarding the draft provided by Pfeifer. Key parameters discussed included a cap on requested amounts, yearly reductions, physical locations of the events, and budgeting for annual larger or signature events. Other suggestions included separating the application from the guide, streamlining to online submittal, and past grant information. Mayor Krause discussed setting goals and freezing the acceptance of new grant applications for the remainder of the year. Daly would like to have an expert discuss tourism parameters and have a legal review on the do's and don'ts. Klett suggested a presenter. July 21, 2026 Tourism Commission Minutes 3 Discussion/Possible Action regarding changing the recurring meeting day and time Mayor Krause discussed options for changing dates so that the meetings don't back right up to a Council meeting. Pisarcik added that financial reports can be more current if pulled later in the month. Also, the 3rd Tuesday of the month is open since FLR no longer meets. The 3rd Tuesday of the month does not work for Klett. Setting future dates will be on the next agenda, Commission will set the next meeting date and time now. Motion by Pfeifer to hold the next meeting on Tuesday, August 18th at 4:00 pm, second by Fesenmaier. No discussion, motion carried 4-0 on a voice vote. Adjournment Motion by Fesenmaier to adjourn, second by Daly. No discussion, motion carried 4-0 on a voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 6:01 pm. Vanessa Jahns Deputy City Clerk & Laura Pisarcik Finance Director/Comptroller