Happy New Year and welcome to 2016 – another exciting year for all of us! May everyone have something joyful happen in their lives this year! In my day dreaming I have just won the $400 million lottery and being the good guy I am I will donate most of it to the Gladbrook Foundation with the following stipulations: First, they will have to pay the taxes on the winnings, I am assuming around $100 million. Second, all the money is to be used for Gladbrook betterment in the following ways. 1st – $100 million is to go into street and sewer improvement and replacement. I don’t know if that is enough to do all the streets but it will help. 2nd – Next the council is to put $3 million into a new library. With Beth Wegner’s new ideas on getting our kids into use the library they will very much need more space. This will be money well spent. 3rd – There is to be $3 million held by the foundation for Crayon Corner’s use in maintaining their budget over the next several years. It is very hard for their board to make ends meet with the current limited means of income. If spread out over several years, this should be enough to finance the day care and pre school for as long as it’s needed. 4th – The council is to receive $9.9 million for a new housing development. This will be needed with the $300 million being spent in our community and keeping Gladbrook Alive and Growing. Build it and the people will come. 5th – $9.9 million is to be spent in developing a better business district and removing some of the old buildings on Main Street and replacing them with new ones helping to encourage new businesses to Gladbrook. This money is to assist all of the south side businesses who have already done a great job in upgrading and remolding their businesses. With all the money to be spent and that has been spent, Gladbrook’s Main Street will be “Alive and Growing.” 6th – Next the big one deposited in the Gladbrook Foundation will be $75 million to be used in buying or building a school here in Gladbrook. This school could be either a Christian or Charter school or be used with a sharing program with a neighboring district. This money could only be spent here in Gladbrook and an active school building has to be maintained. Of the original $75 million, $35 million will be set aside for the running of the school. This money is to be used in paying the bills normally paid for through taxation and is intended to reduce or eliminate school property tax for any land within a ten mile circle of Gladbrook. This money will be held by the Gladbrook Foundation and managed by a five member board of land owners in this 10 mile circle. The board member can be either rural or city but must own land. 7th – Last there is to be $100 million set aside under the control of the City Council for the purpose of eliminating city taxes. With all the money being spent, there should be no school or city taxes here in Gladbrook. This should help in recruiting new business and home owners to move to Gladbrook. Now if you add up all my figures you might find that I still have $100,000 yet to be spent. This is to buy donuts for the Man Cave. If I don’t buy them donuts, some of them will complain forever. Just in case I don’t win the lottery maybe someone else could buy a ticket and use this plan. Thanks for letting me dream and ramble on without giving you any new city information this month but you can see some of the things that your city council will have to deal with in the next few years. Congratulations Ray and Dorothy Landt on celebrating their 69th wedding anniversary in December. A great accomplishment for a great couple! Also on January 1, 2016, Steve Willer was 60 years old. His is a very good and caring young man willing to help anyone. Happy Birthday Steve!

Keith Sash Mayor