City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

All right. Good evening, everyone. This is the September 2nd, 2026 Cottage Grove City Council meeting, which I am calling to order. We have a huge crowd tonight, which is pretty awesome. We have some exciting swearing in and badge ceremonies happening this evening. But our first order of business is the Pledge of Allegiance. So if I could ask everyone to please rise. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right, will the clerk please do the roll?

Councilmember Claassen?

Here.

Councilmember Olsen? Here. Councilmember Thede? Here. Councilmember Garza? Here. Mayor Bailey?

Here. Next item on our agenda this evening is open forum. This is the opportunity for anybody that wants to speak on something that's not on tonight's agenda is welcome to do so. We did have a sign-up sheet out in the entryway, but no one had signed up. Just in case, because a lot of people here, was there anybody that wanted to speak on open forum this evening? All right. No family members want to say something about your kid or husband back there? I don't know. Or daughter, maybe. All right. I'll go ahead and close open forum. And I'll move to number five, which is adoption of the agenda.

Move to adopt the agenda. Second.

All right. So we have a motion by Council Member Garza and seconded by Council Member Thede. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. We're going right into number six, which is the public safety swearing in and badge ceremony. And before we actually get up and get everybody in here from that's out in the entryway, we do actually have a formal thing that we have to do before we start the swearing in. So I'm going to kick it over to Council Member Olson to start that.

Thank you, Mayor. Obviously, we want to perform the swearing in and badge ceremony for Deputy Public Safety Director and Police Captain Pat Nichol, Deputy Public Safety Director and Police Captain Justin Hensler, along with Sergeant Rob Swanson and Sergeant Travis Mulvihill and Officer Cole Pfeiffer. So I would move that effective September 3rd, 2026, we appoint Patrick Nichol and Justin Hensler as Deputy Director of Public Safety and Police Captains, as nonrepresented pay plan grade X01, step four, also effective September 3rd, 2026, appoint Rob Swanson and Travis Mulvihill as police sergeants at step D, as detailed in the sergeant's labor contract, and allow City Administrator Leavitt to administer the oath of office to all four, along with police officer Cole Pfeiffer.

All right, so I have a motion by Council Member Olson. Do I have a second?

I will second.

All right, second by Council Member Claassen. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. So I think Council will go down in the entryway. Yep, and we'll let our Director of Public Safety, Brad Peterson, get us kicked off, and everybody can come on in.

All right, sorry that I took a moment. But the good news is we've got a packed house in here tonight. big chunk of our public safety team here to witness and celebrate with our new officers and families. A lot of family and friends here tonight, so thank you all for taking time out of your busy nights to celebrate this moment with us. It's a really special night for our police department, our whole public safety team, our city, and especially the officers that are being sworn. This is a moment in their lives that they're never going to forget. It's very symbolic and meaningful in their lives, and I really appreciate you being here tonight. So tonight we're going to swear in Cole, and he's joining a really... important mission and an elite team that is really special. And we talk about our core values, our mission, our vision, and it's more than just words. It's really symbolic of that special thing that we have here in Cottage Grove. We're really dedicated to community service, and we do that with commitment, empathy, partnerships with our community, and we serve with honor and the utmost professionalism. We only take the best. We hold them to the highest standards. We invest in them, and we hope that you have a very long and prosperous and rewarding career here. And so I just want you to know that tonight is more than just raising your right hand, taking an oath, pinning that badge on. We're really pledging to serve the community, uphold our values, and And we're all here to witness that and celebrate in that moment with you tonight. So without further ado, actually, I'm going to read your bio first and then I'll hand it over to your Oath. So Cole Pfeiffer grew up in Mount Amidai and graduated from Mount Amidai High School before pursuing a degree in law enforcement from Century College. He started working as a community service officer for both Cuyahoga's Grove and the Washington County Sheriff's Office in 2023. In the summer of 25, he completed the skills program at Rasmussen University and started as a police officer for the city of Cottage Grove. He currently works the night shift, serves as an advisor to the Explorer Post, and is a member of the Mobile Field Force team. In his free time, Cole enjoys hiking, camping, spending time outside with his fiancee, Brooke, and his two dogs, Murphy and Kylo. And after his oath, his fiancee, Brooke, will pin his badge.

All right, please raise your right hand and repeat after me.

SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES AND OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA AND FAITHFULLY DISCHARGE THE DUTIES OF THE POSITION OF POLICE OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE AND THE COUNTY OF WASHINGTON AND STATE OF MINNESOTA TO THE BEST OF MY JUDGMENT AND ABILITY, SO HELP ME GOD.

All right, Rob, it's your turn.

So as a newly appointed chief, I knew that one of my first really important decisions was going to be picking my command team. And I lost some sleep over that because I know that's probably one of the most important things that I can do is choose the right people to make sure that our mission and vision is achieved and that they're setting the setting the right tone, living our core values, looking towards the future, playing towards that future, bridging the gap between the strategic direction of our elected leaders and making that connection with our community leaders and our citizens. So picking the right people is important to that. And luckily, I had a great team that helped me in that process, and we have a very strong bench to choose from. So it made that process very difficult, but it was a good problem to have. And so at the end of that process, I'm confident that we selected two amazing sergeants and two amazing deputy directors that we're going to announce tonight and pin their badges on. So one of the things that you'll do as a sergeant and a leader is make sure that you remain committed to our vision and you are making sure that you are also taking care of our team. And so that can be a balance, right? Because you need to serve the community at the same time, maintain the morale and welfare of our team. But I trust that Rob and Travis will do that as newly promoted sergeants. So Rob... He grew up in Woodbury, where he graduated from Woodbury High School. He began his career serving in the Minnesota National Guard before earning his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the Minnesota State University in Mankato. He served as a police officer since 2014, and joined Cozgrove PD in 2018. Throughout his career with CGPD, Rob served as a firearms instructor, a field training officer, SWAT-themed tactical operator and sniper, and a detective with the Washington County Drug Task Force. Throughout these assignments, he demonstrated a strong commitment to service, leadership, and community. Outside of his career in law enforcement, Rob is a husband of Lindsey and a proud father of three daughters. Rob will be pinned during this promotion ceremony by his wife, Lindsey.

All right, please raise your right hand and repeat after me. Do solemnly swear.

Do solemnly swear.

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

And the state of Minnesota.

And the state of Minnesota.

And faithfully discharge the duties.

And faithfully discharge the duties.

Of the position of police sergeant.

Of the position of police sergeant.

For the city of Cottage Grove.

For the city of Cottage Grove.

In the county of Washington.

In the county of Washington.

In the state of Minnesota.

In the state of Minnesota.

To the best of my judgment and ability.

To the best of my judgment and ability. So help me God. So help me God. Congratulations.

I'm so sorry

In Travis's defense, people were making him laugh in this photo. And he did get a makeup picture today, so that picture will be gone. Sorry, Travis. I had to do it. So Travis grew up in the city of North St. Paul. His law enforcement journey began at the age of 15 when he joined the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office Explorers Post. After graduating high school, he became a volunteer reserve deputy and a part-time seasonal community service officer. In April 2017, Travis started his career with the City of Cottage Grove when he was hired as a community service officer. In June 2018, he was hired as a police officer in Cottage Grove. Throughout his professional career, he has served in a variety of roles and assignments, including patrol officer. explorer advisor, field training officer, firearms instructor, and he served on the Human Trafficking Task Force. He's also on the crime scene team, and he's recently promoted to commander of Washington County Mobile Field Force Team. Prior to his promotion, he was most recently serving as a detective. He holds an associate's degree in criminal justice from Century College and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice leadership from the University of St. Mary's in Minnesota. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, especially his nieces, Lily and Sadie. He enjoys traveling, hunting, golf, and giving back to his community. After his oath, his father, Tom, will pin his badge.

I, Travis Mulvihill, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States in the state of Minnesota and faithfully discharge the duties of the position of police sergeant for the city of Cottage Grove and the county of Washington in the state of Minnesota to the best of my judgment and ability to help me

All right, now it's time to pin the badges on our new deputy directors and police captains. So Pat is going to serve as our new patrol commander, which he has really big shoes to fill, so I'm not sure if he's gonna be able to do it, but under my mentorship, I'm sure he'll do fine. For those of you who didn't know, that was my job before, so a little inside humor. So Pat is a lifelong Cogito resident. He enlisted in the military when he was 17. He spent three years with the Minnesota National Guard as a military police officer and then joined the Marine Corps. He spent four years in the Marine Corps traveling all over the United States and the world, including Panama, Kenya, Somalia, and many other countries. When his Marine Corps contract ended, he joined the Army Reserves where he became a drill sergeant, which is how he got the haircut. And he finished his bachelor's degree in law enforcement. Eventually, he became a commissioned officer and spent a total of 26 years in the military. Pat has been to over 30 countries, which included two combat tours. He earned 23 medals, the highest being a bronze star. He served in Afghanistan and he retired as a major in 2016. Concurrent with his military career, Pat became a police officer with Cottage Grove. He earned a position on the SWAT team and eventually became the commander. He also served as a high school resource officer, and he was promoted to patrol sergeant in 2016. He served 10 years as patrol sergeant, and last year, or actually earlier this year, he became community impact sergeant. He's the father of three amazing kids, all who have sworn an oath to serve in the military. His oldest son joined the Minnesota Army National Guard and is now out and is in the civilian world. His daughter Sarah is currently on active duty in the Air Force and his youngest is on active duty in the Army. He has three grandchildren and is expecting many more. With this promotion, Pat will leave the patrol division and he looks forward to further building relationships with the community and mentoring our future leaders. Pat's daughter Sarah will pin his badge.

only swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, that I'll support the Constitution of the United States and the state of Minnesota and of the state of Minnesota and faithfully discharge the duties and faithfully discharge the duties of the position of deputy public safety director slash police captain.

Of the position of Deputy Public Safety Director slash Police Captain.

For the City of Cottage Grove.

For the City of Cottage Grove.

And the County of Washington.

And the County of Washington.

And the State of Minnesota.

And the State of Minnesota.

To the best of my judgment and ability.

To the best of my judgment and ability. So help me God. So help me God.

laughter

And last but not least, Justin Hensler, who is going to be our new captain overseeing professional standards and administrative division. Justin has no idea how busy and hectic his life is about to come. So he's the captain who is going to get all other duties as assigned. So everything is going to fall in his bucket. So good luck. And to Jackie and family, I'm sorry, because he's going to be busy and stressed. All right, so Justin was raised and lives in Cottage Grove currently. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Mankato with a bachelor's degree in law enforcement. After college, Justin worked at the Winnebago Police Department for two years. In 2014, he was hired by the Cottage Grove Police Department. And over the past 12 years, he held numerous roles, including instructor, field training officer, school resource officer, and commander of the Washington County Mobile Field Force Team. In 2019, he was promoted to sergeant, working in the patrol and investigative divisions. Last year, he completed the 10-week Northwestern University police staff and command leadership course. And that was after winning the gold award. So that's a pretty big accomplishment. badge of accomplishment for Justin. So Justin finds many more ways to serve his community and he's an active member of the Cottage Grove Lions Club. He enjoys golfing, fishing, hunting, and attending sporting events. Home improvement projects and a baby keep him very busy. With his promotion, he'll oversee the professional standards and administrative division. After his oath, his wife Jackie will pin his badge.

Justin Hensler.

Do solemnly swear.

Do solemnly swear.

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

And of the state of Minnesota.

And of the state of Minnesota.

And faithfully discharge the duties.

And faithfully discharge the duties.

Of position of Deputy Public Safety Director slash Police Captain.

And faithfully discharge the duties of the position of deputy public safety director slash police captain.

For the city of Cottage Grove. For the city of Cottage Grove. In the county of Washington.

In the county of Washington.

In the state of Minnesota.

In the state of Minnesota.

To the best of my judgment and ability.

To the best of my judgment and ability. So help me God. So help me God.

That's going to cost me spirit.

So that's it. I'd like to invite family and friends to join us in the training room for a moment of celebration and socialization, and we'll try to keep it as quiet as possible in the hallway so we can continue to conduct business. So let's bring it over there, and let's celebrate. So thank you.

She was freaking out there was a bat in Monique's Louisville Slugger

We'll wait just a second while everybody is heading out there. Having a full chamber for something like this is pretty cool.

That was cool. Really good. All right.

All right. So under presentations, we do have one more item this evening, and that is Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation. And Council Member Olsen is going to read this proclamation, and then he'll make the motion. I'll take a second afterwards. So Council Member Olsen.

Thank you, Mayor. It's a privilege to be able to read this proclamation honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th through October 15th, 2026. And the proclamation reads as follows. WHEREAS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS A NATION BUILT BY THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY HAS PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN SHAPING OUR COUNTRY'S HISTORY, CULTURE, AND ACHIEVEMENTS, AND WHEREAS THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY HAS HAD A PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON OUR COUNTRY THROUGH THEIR STRONG COMMITMENT TO FAMILY, FAITH, HARD WORK, AND SERVICE, AND THEY HAVE ENHANCED AND SHAPED OUR NATIONAL HERITAGE WITH CENTURIES-OLD TRADITIONS that reflect the multi-ethnic and multicultural customs of their community. And whereas the period from September 15th to October 15th is designated as National Hispanic Heritage Month to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. And whereas this month-long celebration begins on September 15th a significant date that marks the independence anniversaries of five Latin American countries, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and includes Mexico's Independence Day on September 16th, Chile's Independence Day on September 18th, and Belize's Independence Day on September 21st. And whereas we recognize and honor the many ways that the Hispanic culture has enriched the fabric of our society, while also rededicating ourselves to address the lack of equal access to opportunity that many still face. And whereas the City of Cottage Grove is proud to honor the history and contributions of the Hispanic community here and throughout our state and our nation, now therefore the Mayor and City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, County of Washington, State of Minnesota, hereby proclaim September 15th through October 15th, 2026, as Hispanic Heritage Month passed this, the second day of September 2026, signed by Myron Bailey, Mayor. And Mayor, I would move that the Council accept this proclamation in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15th through October 15th. Thank you.

All right, thank you. We have a motion by Council Member Olsen. Do I have a second? Second by Council Member Thede. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. All right, we'll move right on to consent agenda. Is there anything council would like to pull on consent this evening? I didn't hear anything. Okay, then I guess we'll look for a motion and a second.

I'll make a motion to move.

All right, so we have a motion to approve the items on the consent. Do I have a second?

I will second.

Seconded by David Claassen, Councilmember Claassen. Any discussion on any other topic on this? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. So if you're here for anything or you're watching at home for anything on our consent agenda, all of those items have been approved. We'll move now to 8, which is, 8A is approved disbursement, is paying the bills. Move the bills. We have a motion by Council Member Olsen.

Second.

Second by Council Member Garza. Again, any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Nine is public hearings. We have none this evening. Ten is bid awards. We have none this evening. We're now to 11, which is our regular agenda, and we do have one item this evening, which is the long-awaited ADOPTION OF THE PLUMBINARY PROPERTY TAX LEVY. AND BRENDA MILANOWSKI, OUR FINANCE DIRECTOR, IS GOING TO WALK US THROUGH THIS. SO, WELCOME, BRENDA.

Mayor, members of the City Council, before you adopt the preliminary property tax levy this evening, I just have a short presentation for you. And our first slide is just to let our audience know that while this is the first time that I'm presenting to you in this room, we've been working on the preliminary levy since January. And thank you, City Council, For the time and commitment that you do during the month of July beginning of August throughout the year Because when we set that preliminary levy that that budget it's not an easy Task it takes a lot of time and commitment And then thank you also to our directors our city administrator all the team all the staff behind the scenes for getting all the information to you so that you're able to make those decisions as we prepare for this evening. As you can see on the slide here that we are not done this evening. The preliminary levy that you adopt tonight will send to Washington County. Washington County will take our property tax levy and and the property tax levy for all the taxing jurisdictions throughout the county, whether it's the county, the school district, or the other cities, and they will prepare notices to all our taxpayers. The taxpayers will receive a notice that based on these preliminary levies, what their property taxes would be for 2027. Also in that notice, they will receive notice that if they have any questions or concerns about the levy or the budget that they're seeing on this property tax levy or this property tax statement, that they can come in and ask questions. In Cottage Grove, that will be held on Wednesday, December 2nd. as part of your regular meeting. You'll take that budget comment and then you'll adopt the final levy. Important reminder that the levy that you set tonight is your maximum levy. When we come back in December, you can't go above the limit that you set tonight, so that's why we call it the maximum levy. And then we'll certify that levy that will be used to prepare those property tax notices that will be sent to our taxpayers in 2027. Budget accomplishments, they're on the screen for you. Just to remind you that we did apply for a safer grant. A fire coverage study was done in 2025, the beginning of 2026, that recognized the need for additional FIREFIGHTERS IN OUR CITY. SO OUR 2027 BUDGET HAS BEEN PREPARED IN ANTICIPATION THAT WE WOULD RECEIVE THAT GRANT TO HIRE SEVEN FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS. WE'RE ALSO ABLE TO CONTINUE PROVIDING THE SAME EXCEPTIONAL LEVEL OF SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY BASED ON THIS BUDGET AND LEVY. WE'RE DEMONSTRATING STEWARDSHIP OF OUR CAPITAL ASSETS AND OUR CITY INFRASTRUCTURE BY PUTTING THEM IN THE BUDGET, WHETHER THEY'VE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN OUR FIVE-YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN OR TEN-YEAR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN. WE CONTINUE TO BE WELL POSITIONED FOR UNCERTAINTY, WHETHER IT'S THE ECONOMY OR ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, AND WE MAINTAIN THAT DISTINCTION OF BEING EMPLOYER OF CHOICE. WE ARE MANAGING GROWTH IN STAFFING BY supporting those seven firefighter paramedics in this budget. And then we're meeting our debt service requirements, which is so important. We hold a AAA bond rating with S&P Financial. When we go out and we issue debt each year for our street projects, sometimes when we build buildings, we'll issue that debt. They come in and they look to make sure that we're paying that debt that we've issued in the past. And so we've included that in the budget. And then maintaining our fund balance target in the general fund. So we've been able to accomplish all these items in the 2027 budget. Items to note in the property tax levy in front of you, it is a 10.25% increase in our combined tax levies. Some items to note would be that we're continuing to fund our EMS operations in 2026. We did our first EMS levy about $70,000 or in the amount of $70,000 we're increasing that now for 2027 up to $467,000 we've used one-time funding in the past to cover operations in the fund and we're finally bringing it on to the property tax levy and Secondly, our debt service levy, we issued debt here in 2026 for pavement management, some equipment certificates, and then our Oatman Park project, and that's been included in our property tax levy, which is why that is going up. And then finally, our general fund levy is increasing about 9.19%. Just a reminder, we're in the people business here in Cottage Grove. Our general fund is our chief operating budget. We're providing police services, fire services, streets, public work services, snow plowing services, park recreation services to our community. We do that through people. And so the general fund, it's no surprise that 71% of our general fund is made up of those personnel costs. Property tax levy and tax capacity. I've combined it on one slide Because when we talk about an individual Taxpayer and the impact of the property tax levy and what that impact has on them We have to do a calculation for the tax rate in order to apply it to that individual home And so we take our property tax levy divided by our tax capacity If we take those two numbers and divide them, that's how we come with our tax rate. And here's the history just showing, since we're a growing community, on that blue bar chart is showing the increase in tax capacity as we've grew with new construction or existing homes. And then the property tax levy follows suit. As you can see, in 23 and 24, we had some big appreciation of existing homes plus new construction. So it's taken us a little bit of time to increase that property tax levy to catch up with that growth that we experienced there. For 2027, on our tax capacity, we are increasing about 4.37%. 2% would be appreciation for existing property in the city, and then 2% growth for new construction. Oops. And then as I alluded to, the property tax levy divided by that tax capacity, here's that slide showing that some years our property tax levy increases, some years it goes down. And so for 2027, we're at about 42.446%, and there's the history showing that change year by year. What that means for the median home in Cottage Grove, what we do know is that median home in Cottage Grove in 2026 had a value of $368,400. In 2027, that's increased by 2.04%, up to $375,900. Based on the city property tax levy that's in front of you, their property taxes would go from $1,421 in 2026 up to $1,541 for 2027. About $120 change, $30 of that, or $33 of that increase is due to that safer grant and that EMS property tax levy. If we took the $1,541 and divided it on a monthly basis to compare it to a utility bill that a customer might pay to FOR THEIR UTILITY SERVICE OR FOR THEIR CABLE SERVICE, IT WOULD BE A TOTAL COST OF ABOUT $128.42 PER MONTH TO COMPARE THAT. A DAILY COST OF ABOUT $4.22 OR THE INCREASE PER DAY FOR 27 IS ANTICIPATED TO BE 33 CENTS PER DAY. BASED ON IF WE DID THE $128.42, IF THEY WROTE US A CHECK TO THE CITY, When that check came into the city, we would send $61.72 out to public safety to pay for police, fire, EMS services. Public works, we get $20.07 to pay for streets, snow plowing, those types of services. Parks and recreation, we get $14.04 for parks, trails, facilities. Debt service for the debt we've issued in the past for our pavement management programs, our street programs, our city buildings. $18.56. General government would get $9.98 to pay for administration, communications, finance, IT services to support really the whole organization. Economic development, HRA, $1.68. Contingency, so that we could anticipate things that we don't know today that could happen in 2027. We need to to have money available to anticipate those unexpected things, $2.31. And then community development would get $0.06. They do a lot of their building permit revenue, which supports their division, but they do have a little property tax support. While we don't know how other cities in Washington County and in the Metro are going to set their 2027 levy, here I'm just showing how we compared for 2026. And so as you can see on this slide that that median home when we compare it to other cities in Washington County was the lowest. There were two other cities lower. So we were the third lowest in the county on that median home. BASED ON THE PROPERTY TAX LEVY IN FRONT OF YOU, THAT $1,541 ON THE MEDIAN HOME, WE MAY GO ABOVE ANOTHER COMMUNITY, BUT THAT IS IF THEIR LEVY IS SET AT ZERO, THEIR MEDIAN HOME DOESN'T INCREASE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO INTO THAT EQUATION, SO WE THINK THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO COMPARE FAVORABLY FOR 2027. AND THEN ALSO WE NEED TO ALSO, YOU KNOW, recognize that we are not the lowest property tax rate in Washington County. We're not the highest. We're right in the middle of the path. And when we look for 2027, the 42.446%, it may increase us over another community But remember, if we subtracted out the fire and EMS, we'd be at 41.52%. And so we're back down. So every budget, every property tax levy is unique. And this one has been another unique situation. With that, I'm happy to answer any questions.

Okay, thank you, Brenda, and thank you for our staff for the many, many, many months of putting things together and going back and forth. I mean, there was a lot for what the public doesn't see behind the scenes. Well, they could be at our budget meetings if they wanted to, if that interested them. They could see some of the different departments saying, well, okay, I can wait on this item or that item because I know that this department needs this item or needs that person or something to that effect. So it's really kind of neat, in my opinion, on how our all of our departments work together hand in hand in support of one another knowing that everybody is putting together this budget. Most of the people that are probably in some cases putting this budget together actually live here too in Cottage Grove, so it's like all of us council members. So we all take that process very seriously. So I do appreciate that and thank our staff for that. Council, is there any other questions that you may have at this point? Council Member Olsen, anything?

No questions per se, but first of all, thank you to everybody for all the hard work and effort that went into formulating the budget and ultimately landing on this preliminary levy amount. You know, Brenda, earlier in your presentation, you had a slide of some of the things that we accomplished with this budget. And I always like to remind people that when we sit down to do a budget, BUDGETS ARE ACTUALLY MORAL DOCUMENTS. THEY REPRESENT YOUR VALUES. THEY'RE NOT JUST FINANCIAL IN NATURE. AND OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR COUNCIL FOR A VERY LONG TIME HAS OPERATED WITH A CERTAIN SET OF VALUES, ONE OF WHICH IS WE WANT TO HAVE A SAFE COMMUNITY. EXTREMELY FOCUSED ON PUBLIC SAFETY, OBVIOUSLY THAT IS THE LARGEST PART OF OUR BUDGET YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT, AND IT ALWAYS AMAZES ME, YOU SAID IF SOMEBODY WROTE A CHECK TO THE CITY FOR SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $61.50 A MONTH, YOU GET POLICE, YOU GET FIRE, YOU GET EMS, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK MANY OF US TAKE FOR GRANTED. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT comes in line with respect to that core value about public safety is the transition of our fire department and our EMS department from a part-time, it actually used to be paid on call, fire department to now a full-time model where we staff basically 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 366 on leap year. We have full coverage with medics. And when you call for an ambulance in the city of Cottage Grove, not only do you get an ambulance with an EMT or EMTs on it, but you also get a fully trained medic. There's a cost to that. And we have had to work very hard over the last several years on making that transition from PART TIME TO FULL TIME STAFF. AND THIS BUDGET REFLECTS THAT. THIS IS A REALLY BIG STEP AND YOU SAW IT EARLIER ON IN THE SLIDE WITH REGARD TO THE LEVY. that we actually implemented last year and have now fully implemented for 2027. We're not continuing to use cash on hand for paying for those medics. We actually now have to levy for it. So kudos to the public safety team and to the entire staff for recognizing that this year's budget required that we did that. And that required some sacrifice on the part of some other departments as well. So I want the public at home to know that these decisions don't get made lightly, and they always come with a set of values that we use as our North Star. And keeping this community safe is right at the very top of that list, and making sure that the level of service that you receive when you're in desperate need is the best level of service we can possibly provide. And I think we've done that. Back to you, Mayor.

Okay, thank you. So if there's no other comments by council at this point, they're asking, you see it on the screen there, I'll need somebody to make a motion and a second with the resolution.

Mayor, I'll make a motion to adopt resolution 2026-124, adopting the preliminary 2026 property tax levy collectible in 2027.

All right, sounds good. We have a motion by Council Member Claussen, second by Council Member Garza. Did I catch that? Okay. Second by Council Member Garza. Any further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you again, Brenda. All right, we're on to 12, council comments request. I will, like I normally do, kick it down to Mr. Claassen.

Thank you, Mayor. Just to add on to what the Mayor and Justin has already said, thank you to the department heads and our finance department. That is a lot of work. This is my second time being through the budget, and wow, with all the projections and growth. Anyway, everybody else has said a lot of kudos, and I just want to add to that. IN MY SECOND COMMENT, MAYOR, AS WE WERE PREPARING FOR TONIGHT'S MEETINGS, WE RECEIVED WORD OF A SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS INVOLVING CITIZENS AND MINNEAPOLIS POLICE. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF WORD OUT YET ON WHAT HAPPENED. WE KNOW AT LEAST TWO OFFICERS ARE IN THE HOSPITAL ALONG WITH CITIZENS, OF COURSE. AND JUST JOIN ME IN KEEPING THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS TONIGHT. THANK YOU.

ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. ALL RIGHT. Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to mention there are a couple of really neat things that are on the horizon here in the city of Cottage Grove that if you've not had the opportunity to participate in, you may want to consider. The first of which is this weekend. I know that everybody's all excited about the state fair, but we have a tremendous event in the city of Cottage Grove this weekend called the One Family event. THIS EVENT IS THE SEVENTH ANNUAL LABOR DAY SPORTS FESTIVAL THAT IS ACTUALLY PUT ON BY THE MUNG COMMUNITY ONE FAMILY, AND IT SEEMS TO GET BIGGER AND BETTER EVERY YEAR. WE HAVE THESE EVENTS, MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND AND LABOR DAY WEEKEND IN THE CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE, AND IT BRINGS A FULL ARRAY OF RECREATIONAL SPORTS, FAMILY ACTIVITIES, WE'VE GOT FOOD TRUCKS, THERE'S A MARKETPLACE THAT'S AVAILABLE THERE. IT REALLY IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO IMMERSE YOURSELF IN SOMETHING FROM A MONG CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE AS WELL AS SOME PRETTY FIERCE SPORTS COMPETITION, I'LL TELL YOU THAT. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO SOME GREAT FOOD TO EAT, SOME GREAT SHOPPING. So I would invite everybody to stop by Kingston Park September 5th and the 6th to take advantage of the opportunity. I KNOW I'LL CERTAINLY BE THERE AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU AS WELL. AND THEN, OF COURSE, A SHORT TIME FROM THAT POINT, WE GET TO OUR ANNUAL FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL THAT IS PUT ON BY DISCOVER COTTAGE GROVE. THIS TAKES PLACE ON THE 19TH OF SEPTEMBER, WHICH IS A SATURDAY, FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM AT KINGSTON PARK. IT'S FREE. WE WILL FEATURE OVER 30 FOOD TRUCKS. THE COTTAGE GROVE LIONS WILL HAVE THE BEER GARDEN THERE. We have an artisan marketplace. We have lots of activities for kids. Live music starts at 11 o'clock featuring Caitlin White, followed by Anti-Skip Protection, which is the headlining band starting at 3 o'clock. I can tell you from experience that you will not walk away hungry. Please come and take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy lots of different types of food through various food trucks from all different backgrounds. Regardless of what you like, there'll be something there that you'll enjoy. But before that is the Run, Walk, Ruck for Heroes, which you never want to try to say 12 times quickly. And that event is scheduled, again, at Kingston Park on the 19th from 9 o'clock in the morning until noon. This is put on by our Mississippi River Valley Beyond the Yellow Ribbon team, and it welcomes participants of all fitness levels, including people like me, to run, walk, or ruck through our local parks and trails. We have a 5K, a 10K, and a 15K that you can participate in. We call that one the Hero's Challenge. I call it suicide. After crossing the finish line, participants can enjoy the Food Truck Festival. So if you're feeling guilty about eating all that delicious food, come and do a 5K with me beforehand. It'll be a lot of fun, raise some money for military families and veterans in the community, and then you can eat as much as you want guilt-free. Look forward to seeing everybody there on the 19th. Run, Walk, Ruck starts at 9, and then the Food Truck Festival right after at 11 o'clock. Back to you, Mayor.

Fantastic. Thank you. You got all the ones on our list here. Now we'll see if Council Member Thede has anything extra.

Strawberry Fest is coming up. Pretty much covered it. Strawberry Fest. Yeah, we start thinking about Strawberry Fest again. And anybody that wants to get involved, we certainly would love to have people get involved in that. We'll keep you posted on when we're having different meetings and starting to plan and things like that. We're already thinking about it, so. Um, one thing I will say is that, uh, you know, our, our community, uh, there's some school, there's some school districts that have started school already. Um, and, uh, which, you know, prior to the, to the end of the, uh, the, the state fair is kind of, I don't know about that, but, but at any rate, uh, the fact is, is that our kiddos do go back to school next week. And, and so we need to be, uh, extra careful and mindful of that. And, and, uh, make sure that we're paying close attention and so that all those kiddos stay safe.

So, and I hope.

Fantastic. Council Member Garza.

Thank you, Mayor. Well, speaking of school, I had the opportunity this morning to attend the District 833 school teacher kickoff and that was amazing. It was for school and staff members and it was a great time there and I know they are excited to start the school year, so am I.

GET THOSE KIDS OUT OF THE HOUSE.

EXACTLY. BUT NO, IT WAS REALLY, REALLY AN ENERGIZING EVENT AND LOTS OF FUN. SO I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR. AND LIKE COUNCILMEMBER CLASSEN SAID, PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE. THE KIDS ARE GOING TO BE WALKING AND TRIKING AND E-BIKING AND ALL OF THE THINGS. SO JUST BE CAREFUL OUT THERE. AND WITH THAT, THANK YOU, MAYOR.

ALL RIGHT, FANTASTIC. SO WHAT I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE IS I know this year has been kind of an interesting year when it comes to being in Cottage Grove with regards to construction. If it's not around some of our big developments happening in town, redeveloping 95th Street, which is done, right? I'm looking at Ryan. 95th. I went down it. I just want to make sure we got the new. Yeah. So I think we're good there. I ALSO WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU IS THERE'S ALSO SOME, I'LL SAY CITY PROJECTS, STATE PROJECTS, AND THEN THERE'S COUNTY PROJECTS. SO GREAT NEWS, I CAN TELL YOU, BARRING ANY WEATHER DISASTERS, BUT I'VE HAD PEOPLE ASKING ME, 65th STREET, WHICH IS BASICALLY NEAR OATMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL, GOING DOWN TO PAST THE NEWPORT LIBRARY, OR LIBRARY, CEMETERY, THANK YOU, MY GOODNESS. down that direction, which has been... You can read there.

I mean, nobody's going to snap you.

I suppose. Yeah, we are going there. But anyway, that is going to be open the 5th, so this coming weekend. So I just wanted to share that with you. That would be awesome. I can see the road. It looks like it's pretty close to being done, if not done. So very happy to see that. And then I actually... I'm not going to give the date, but hopefully mid-September, the roundabout on County Road 19 will be finished, so we'll be able to get through around there. There was a little concern early on about the 80th Street between Ideal and Hinton, but the contractor's been able to work WHAT THEY NEEDED TO GET DONE. AND BY THE TIME SCHOOL STARTS BETWEEN CREST VIEW AND PARK NEXT WEEK, THERE WILL BE THE TWO-WAY TRAFFIC GOING THROUGH THAT PARTICULAR AREA UP THERE. SO THE GREAT NEWS IS THE AREA BETWEEN HINTON AND IDEAL WILL BE OPEN TO TRAFFIC BOTH DIRECTIONS FOR THE KIDS GOING TO SCHOOL AND WALKING WITH CONSTRUCTION AND ALL THAT. IT WILL STILL BE ONE WAY GOING EAST FROM BASICALLY HIGHWAY 61, IF YOU, WELL, YEAH, Yeah, Highway 61 all the way up to Hinton. There is some turn lanes and things like that that we're going to do. And then also East Point Douglas by Hy-Vee will still be a little bit longer yet. And then the ramps that are going south towards Hastings, again, that's a state project, but that'll also be a little bit longer. But I just want to say thanks to everyone because the amount of construction that's been going on, literally I know what our public safety team has to do. I happen to be down that direction. I saw our ambulance coming all the way up and around and a poor police officer trying to get through cones and all that to get around all of us that were stuck in line trying to get out of the way in a construction zone. So we're all in this together. It's going to be absolutely amazing when it's finished. You can start seeing some of the stuff there that is happening. So I just want to say thank you all for managing through that. It's well worth it, and we'll go from there. WITH THAT, THAT WAS IT FOR MY COMMENTS. WE DO HAVE A WORKSHOP THIS EVENING, WHICH IS OPEN TO PUBLIC. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE'RE GOING TO BE KICKING OFF THE 2050 Imagine 2050, I should say. Comprehensive plan update. There is no workshop closed to the public, so we'll be adjourning after our kickoff with our staff. Are we in the training room? Training room? We'll be in the training room. So everybody have a great evening, a great Labor Day weekend, and enjoy the Hmong Festival here in Cottage Grove or the State Fair or whatever you want to have some fun doing. So thanks, everyone.