Waukesha council adopts modernized arcade license rules, sets $350 annual premises fee

The Waukesha Common Council on Dec. 16 unanimously adopted a revised ordinance updating municipal code 8.04 (amusement arcades), after voting 11–2 to suspend the third-reading requirement and proceed to final adoption.

Attorney Brian Running explained the rewrite as a modernization of an ordinance dating to the 1980s: it replaces a per-machine fee (historically $40 per machine plus a $50 premises fee) with a flat annual premises fee placed in a fee schedule, streamlines the application so the clerk can issue permits when requirements are met, eliminates a routine background-check requirement, and explicitly lists grounds for suspension or revocation with a due-process hearing before council.

Running said the change aims to remove archaic restrictions (including a prior blanket ban on card games) while maintaining prohibitions on illegal gambling machines under state law. He also presented a revenue analysis showing the city currently collects roughly $10,000–$12,000 per year under the existing structure and recommended a $350 annual fee to preserve revenue.

Councilmembers asked clarifying questions on the fee amount and enforcement. One council member said scrapping the ordinance entirely could be considered, but the general consensus supported a streamlined, modernized regulation that avoids imposing excessive costs on potential local businesses. The council approved the ordinance with the stated $350 flat fee per premises per year.

The ordinance now moves to administrative implementation via the updated fee schedule and clerk-authority procedures described in the adopted text.