Budget is done!!

We passed the budget last night and the total Mill Rate decreased this year.  Here is how it broke down.

City of Columbus +$0.063
School District     -$0.149
Columbia County +$0.133
State or WI           -$0.001
MATC                  +$0.02

Total is a decrease of 0.125 and a total Mill Rate of $23.2632 which means for me personally, I am saving 3.2 cents EVERY DAY!  YEA BABY!!  

The City of Columbus has managed to shave 11 cents of their $8.62 since 2013-14. The School District has shaved a whopping 67 cents off. . . . of course the Middle School no longer uses electricity or heat in the winter but you know kids, they don't care about heat or cold and there was not enough outlets anyway. And those extra 3 kindergarten class's are in a tent on the playground because of the lack of room but . . .we're saving money!!

In other news the Library board asked for $5000 to do a study on the possibility of getting a pretty large grant which will explore the possibilities on expanding/moving the library into a combined Library/Community center.   The turn the Library into a museum or something useful to the community.

Our library is dreadfully small and is packed to the gills (or stocked up to the gunnels) when events are held.  The only place to expand would be to rip up the parking lot . . .but then there would be no parking lot.  yea yea there is a parking lot across the highway but my personal goal is to make the downtown more pedestrian friendly.  So - it's just dipping the toes into the water at the moment.

In case you drive by the travel center and see digging and building that SHOULD be Ottery Truck Wash if council OKs the use of the TIF area and yada yada.  Their business model is to wash in insides of food grade trucks and would be one of the few in southern Wisconsin (maybe the only one?)  They will employee 4 full time highly paid full benefits employees and 4 part time.      

This is a "Pay as you Go" TIF which means the city does not have any real risk.  The developer builds the infrastructure and the city pays them back over a certain number of years.  If nothing gets built "we" don't pay anything.  This is unlike the other TIFs where the city builds the infrastructure and HOPES the developer builds something.

Also discussed to the street lights on the Walgreens Intersection. The James Street reconstruction will have all black street lights going all the way through town. They will look SWEET.  HOWEVER - the lights over that intersection, if we want them black, will cost an extra $24,000.  OUCH  UMM . . . .NO.  Somethings are just a little too far outside the box. 

The Bowling Alley - remember that?  Yes - it was purchased and will no longer be a bowling alley. The facility will become an Events & Banquet Center with a good number of employees. The actual alleys will be sold to other bowling alleys.

So that is what is happening in Columbus.  Don't forget - the Holiday Train Friday night about 10:45?  We're thing to make this a bigger "thing" then it already is.

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The last time we were in Indianapolis for the USS Indy reunion (2 more have passed away since then) we were treated to a special dinner at $hula's $teakhouse (they do not use $ in their name but maybe should).  Let's just say my baked potato was $14.  When I commented I did not have my reading glasses they brought out a display of reading glasses I could use and then they placed my napkin on my lap for me because I guess they feel guests are unable to do such labor.

ANYWAY - I had a dirty martini and oh my it was amazingly good (again, that also cost $14 also).  It was at that point when dirty martini's became more then just a drink to me,  I needed to make this on my own . . .better.

I have been experimenting with different vodka and found I really liked potato vodka from Poland but sadly my bottle of Luksusowa was about to dry up. I needed to find another bottle. I looked around and found that Shula's used Belvedere Vodka.

hmmmm - looking at different reviews on the net I see Grey Goose is very highly overrated at $35 a bottle.  WOW - $35? seems expensive.  But when you think about it that is 12 martini's.  If a craft beer can cost $6 and a martini can cost let's say $3.50 . . .is $35 really too much?  

I found a bottle of Belvedere and purchased it (after all if it's good enough for James Bonds . . . .).

It's delicious.  2 shots of  Belvedere and a shot of olive juice (now that is actually the hard part, finding good quantities of olive juice) over crushed ice.  YUMMO!!  So now I must investigate different vodkas.  The Luksusowa had really good reviews and I like the slight sweetness of potato  vodka.


Not a fan of vermouth though.

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I was having a conversation on Facebook the other day and was surprised that a few of my Republican leaning friends were either switching sides or just not voting.  Pretty much do to our Governor and the current buffoons running for office.  Where did common sense go with these guys.
Just so many outright lies coming from their mouths is unbelievable.  If the Democrats had that group I would switch also.  It's like they are panicking and just blurting out any nonsense.  It's really sad.  

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I have had 5 of the years biggest busts in fantasy football on MY team this year.  YET - I have the 3rd most points scored . . .YET . . I am 4 and 8 because I have BY FAR the most points scored against me in the league and I have no way to prevent that.  Of my 8 losses 5 of them were from the other teams having their best game of the year,  sigh!

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Friend of mine just binged on Jessica Jones in 3 sittings.  He said he could not stop watching this superhero/psychological thriller.   

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I can't see out a window here at work but it should get sunny today warmer tomorrow and then ramps up to 10 degrees above average and sunny for a while and 10 days out I'm seeing the possibilities o 50s.  Starting Friday we will not get below freezing for a good long time and I see nothign but sun sun and more sun.

See ya

Have a grea