Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association Newsletter
(December 20, 2015 - December 26, 2015)
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As I See It...

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the store,

People were quickly going in and out the door.

The wine was placed on the shelves with care,

in hopes that a bare space soon would be there.


   
The customers were looking at varietals of reds,

While visions of tenderloin danced in their heads.

With Katie at the register and me selling on the floor,

We are set to help, with parties galore.



When near the Fireball I heard a loud noise,

I hurried to see it was just college boys.



The phone just keeps ringing, people want to know,

Will we still be open if it begins to snow?



Of course we are here,

The driver just arrived with a fresh load of beer!

The Blue Moon before the Rolling Rock came

The cases he unloaded as he called them by name.

Now, Shiner! Now Samplers!

Now Fulton and Crispin!

On Coors! On Corona!

On Darkness and Guinness

He put it all away in under a minute.

He drove away, drove away at the end of his day.



And then, in a twinkling I went to the aisle,

To make sure everyone would leave with a smile!

Hey! You with the frown, buy a bottle of Crown!

Malt or Rye will make time with the in laws fly by!



Yes indeed, that Bacardi makes a fruit cake heartier!

Buy a case and you'll be the life of the party.



Drinking gin is no sin, we are glad you stopped in!

Yes mam, Zinfandel will go well

And folk sure do love the merlot don't ya know.



 
The bag boy spoke not a word; he went straight to his work.

He filled all the bags and even smiled at the jerk.

He loaded a Chevy with boxes that were heavy.



We closed out the register and gave a big sigh

The end of this busy day was drawing nigh.



My poem has turned into a bit of a fright,

So I'll say

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Cathy Pletta
Kasson Liquor
Did You Know?

More than 20 alcohol-licensed businesses in Otter Tail County recently failed compliance checks.

The check consisted of a properly licensed person under 21 but over 18 employed by the sheriff's office to attempt to buy alcohol at the businesses.

The businesses pass the check if the cashier does not sell to the person after they check their license.

Remind employees to ASK FOR AN ID AND LOOK FOR THE RED BOX AROUND THE PHOTO!!


PERA Board Considers a Range of General Plan Funding Solutions

From: The League of Minnesota Cities

The Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) Board of Trustees discussed several options to address a deficiency in the PERA General Plan at its Dec. 10 meeting.

The General Plan currently has an estimated contribution deficiency equal to 1.5 percent of salary.

That estimated deficiency is based on a combination of factors, including:
  • The latest General Plan annual valuation from July 1, 2015.
  • The recent experience study, which included revised assumptions on life expectancy.
  • A delay in the expected date of triggering the return to a 2.5 percent annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for retirees.
PERA staff gave the Board of Trustees a list of seven initial options to address the funding deficiency, including scenarios with changes such as extending the General Plan amortization date; permanently eliminating the current law 2.5 percent COLA trigger; replacing the current law COLA with a modified COLA that would be smaller but would occur earlier; increasing employee and employer contributions; and modifying the early retirement calculations to eliminate any subsidy to early retirees.

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What to Do???
Future Dates to Remember


Legislative Session Start

March 8, 2016
2016 MMBA Annual Conference

April 16 - 19, 2016
Arrowwood Resort

Legislative Session
End

May 23, 2106
Ask A Director

Gary Buysse
Rogers
763-428-0163

Cathy Pletta
Kasson
507-634-7618
  
Bill Ludwig
Paynesville
320-250-3325
  
Candice Woods
Hutchinson 
320-587-2762
  
John Jacobi
Isanti
763-444-5063

Michael Friesen
Hawley
218-483-4747

Steve Grausam
Edina
952-903-5732

Tom Agnes
Brooklyn Center
763-549-3710
Brenda Visnovec
Lakeville 
952-985-4901
 
Bridgitte Konrad
North Branch
651-674-8113

 Karissa Kurth
Buffalo Lake
320-833-2321
 
Paul Kaspszak
MMBA
763-572-0222
1-866-938-3925
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Minnesota SMART

The SMART campaign: Supporting Minnesota's Alcohol Regulations and Traditions, is a renewed public education and grassroots advocacy effort in support of Minnesota's current alcohol regulations and three-tier system.

 

We believe Minnesota's current alcohol regulations are smart, balanced, and supported by many citizens and our local small businesses.    

    

They work well for Minnesota!

 

The SMART campaign functions to help you engage in advocacy efforts with state legislators and others in support of Minnesota's current alcohol regulations, and to oppose issues-such as Sunday alcohol sales.

We want to make it easy and effective for you to engage.

 

Take action and send an email to your state legislators today through the new SMART campaign website.   

 

We have sample letters and legislator contact information put together that is ready to go.   

 

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Beverage Alcohol Training

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 Contact Bob Leslie at:
 
320-766-3871
 


Contact Gary Buysse at:

763-428-0164

Let's Not Use Mars as a Backup Planet
Stellar astronomer and TED Senior Fellow Lucianne Walkowicz works on NASA's Kepler mission, searching for places in the universe that could support life.

So it's worth a listen when she asks us to think carefully about Mars.

In this short talk, she suggests we stop dreaming of Mars as a place that we'll eventually move to when we've messed up Earth, and to start thinking of planetary exploration and preservation of the Earth as two sides of the same goal.

As she says, "The more you look for planets like Earth, the more you appreciate our own planet."

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It's better to have tried and failed than to succeed at doing nothing at all
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Contact Ste. Michelle Wine Estates


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