The forward-thinking City of Geneva operates under a mayor-council form of government composed of a mayor and 10 aldermen representing five wards. The City Council meets the first and third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. in order to discuss matters of business and policy concerning the community. The Committee of the Whole meets the second and fourth Monday of the month at 7 p.m.
The community works closely with local government in order to enhance the quality of life enjoyed in Geneva. Citizen participation is highly encouraged at the monthly City Council meetings and through nearly a dozen city boards, committees and commissions that cover various initiatives such as cultural arts, beautification and historic preservation.
Community safety and prevention is safeguarded by both the Geneva Police Department and the Geneva Fire Department.
Thirty-six dedicated, professional, compassionate sworn officers comprise the Geneva Police Department, as well as 13 equally dedicated, professional and compassionate civilian employees. In addition to crime prevention, the department offers a number of community programs and educational services including Internet Safety and Crime Prevention Programs, Operation Senior Care, Drug/Medication Collection Program, Kane County Safe Kids, their child ID program and many programs in cooperation with the Geneva schools.
The Geneva Fire Department, formed in 1895, originally consisted of 14 members. Today, that number has increased to more than 60 members with three administrators, 20 full-time and 46 paid-on call firefighters. An Advanced Life Support ambulance service is provided by six private contract paramedics. All these groups work together as a combination department serving 24,500 residents in the City and Township of Geneva.
The fire department provides a wide array of emergency and non-emergency services to the community that include fire suppression, paramedic-based emergency medical care and transport, hazardous material assessment/mitigation, technical rescue response, life safety education programs that target grade school children and senior residents of the community, fire code enforcement and CPR classes, as well as home and business safety inspections.