Germantown sets outdoor entertainment permit fee at $200 annually; trustees table ordinance language on suspension and revocation

The Village of Germantown approved a resolution establishing fees for outdoor entertainment permits and postponed final action on a companion ordinance that would define suspension and revocation procedures.

Trustees voted to set the annual outdoor entertainment permit fee at $200 after a motion reducing the proposed $350 annual fee carried. Under the adopted fee structure staff described, a license year runs July 1 through June 30 to align with alcohol licensing. The village will allow the first two temporary single-event outdoor entertainment permits in a license year to be free; additional single-event permits would carry a $75 fee intended to recoup roughly one hour of staff processing time per application.

Presentation materials compared Germantown’s proposed fees with other Wisconsin municipalities. The presenter summarized examples: Madison charges $300 a year; Milwaukee uses a sliding scale tied to expected attendance and additional police costs; West Bend charges $75 per event with escalators after multiple events; Lake Delton charges $50 per day or $300 annually. Staff said the $75 per-event fee is meant to cover notification and processing (including the 500-foot notice) and to better align program costs with fees.

Trustees then debated a related draft ordinance amendment to Germantown Municipal Code section 12.03 that would establish the process for suspension or revocation of an outdoor entertainment permit. Several trustees objected to language that would allow proceedings to begin upon receipt of a verified written complaint filed with the clerk, arguing that a single resident should not be able to trigger a formal proceeding without prior police or chief review. One trustee asked, “So anybody can go to the clerk and file a complaint, like, 1 person, and then the suspension or revocation proceedings are gonna begin?” The presenter clarified that a verified written complaint is notarized and would be forwarded to the committee, but trustees said they wanted clearer safeguards and a review step by municipal officers.

Trustee Pieper moved to table the ordinance amendment and direct staff to research comparable municipal code language and refine the proposed suspension/revocation procedures; that motion passed. The board made clear it preferred a process that channels complaints first to public-safety staff (police or fire) before initiating suspension or revocation proceedings at the Public Safety Committee.

The fee resolution and the tabling action move the village forward on permitting for outdoor entertainment while delaying final adoption of enforcement procedures to allow staff to produce clarified language and examples from other municipalities.