One day at a time

So you'll see in the recent Green Lake Reporter that we approached the city, once again, prior to the annual renewal of liquor licenses.
Just an FYI - there is no technical difference between the non-quota and the quota license. It's just how the city tallies the numbers.
Next point in case: JT Skewers is closed. Last year we argued that the capacity of Skewers makes them a quota exception (300 seats), but the city can't decide if capacity is determined by fire code, number of chairs, what the owner says, etc. The state won't define it, because they want to give the city the control (at least that is our assumption). So that's one avenue.
The other is abandonment. This means that when a business is closed for a certain period of time, they lose the automatic renew right for the liquor license.
So the building is empty and has been since late December. It's on the market, of course, as it has been for years. It's on a major highway. Three restaurants have failed there(that we know of). So are we going to tie up a license for another year.
Here's the real issue: is the city in the business of issuing liquor licenses to sell real estate, or to provide a service to our tourists (and help a local business)?

Exception to Quota

Many of you must have noticed the recent news about a town called Saukville.
Population of about 7000.
They had the same license quota issue.
They got a bill passed (ACT 192) and signed into law via Mark Gottlieb and Sen. Grothman to suspend the quota law for a short period of time to allow the city to issue another license for this one business.

Apparently the thought behind this action was " a family-owned business was going to go bankrupt and 25 people would lose their jobs".
re: JS Online:
State Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) has said he introduced the bill to help one business, Messina Two Inc., 151 Progress Drive, Saukville, get a license to serve liquor in addition to the wine and beer the restaurant serves.

The bill is designed to help just one business because political reality is such that the Tavern League of Wisconsin would not allow a broader-based bill to get passed, Grothman has said."


First of all: good for them.
Second of all: aren't most of us family owned businesses on the brink of bankruptcy with a full liquor license.