Cottage Grove City Council — Transcript
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Public Safety Personnel Appointments and Oaths
Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation
Preliminary Property Tax Levy for 2027
Votes (3)
Official Actions for Public Safety Personnel Appointments and Oaths
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Olson [P19] · Seconded by Council Member Clawson [P20]
The council considered a motion to formally appoint several public safety officers, detailing their positions, effective dates, and salary grades/steps. Public Safety Director Brad Peterson delivered remarks emphasizing the values of community service, professionalism, and leadership expected from the officers taking their oaths. Biographical details were read for Police Officer Cole Pfeiffer, Sergeants Rob Swanson and Travis Mulvehill, and Deputy Directors/Police Captains Pat Nickel and Justin Henseler, highlighting their careers, military service, and family connections. Family members participated in the pinning ceremony for each officer.
Proclamation of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15, 2026)
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Olson [P81] · Seconded by Council Member Thye [P82]
Council Member Olson presented a proclamation for Hispanic Heritage Month, detailing its historical significance, recognizing the diverse contributions of the Hispanic community to the United States and Cottage Grove, and acknowledging the independence dates of several Latin American countries within this period. The proclamation also addressed the ongoing need to tackle unequal opportunities.
Adoption of the Preliminary Property Tax Levy (for 2026, Collectible in 2027)
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Clawson [P111] · Seconded by Council Member Garza [P112]
Finance Director Brenda Milanofski provided a comprehensive presentation on the preliminary property tax levy. She explained that this levy sets the maximum amount that can be collected in 2027 and detailed the process leading to a public hearing in December. Key budgetary achievements cited included securing a SAFER grant for seven firefighter-paramedics, maintaining high service levels, managing capital assets, and preserving the city's AAA credit rating. The total levy showed a 10.25% increase, largely due to transitioning EMS operations to full tax levy funding (up from $70k to $467k) and new debt service for pavement management and Oakwood Park. The general fund, supporting core city services (police, fire, public works, parks), accounts for 71% in personnel costs and is increasing by 9.19%. The presentation also included a breakdown of how tax dollars are allocated and how Cottage Grove compares to other Washington County cities in terms of average home value and tax rates. Council Member Olson emphasized that the budget reflects the city's values, particularly its strong focus on public safety and the transition to full-time fire/EMS staffing.
Notable Quotes (6)
This night is really more than just raising your right hand, taking the oath, and getting your badge pinned. You are really committing yourself to serving the community, upholding our values, and we're all here to bear witness to that and celebrate this moment with you tonight.
choosing the right people to make sure that our mission and vision are delivered upon, that they're setting the right approach, they're living our core values, they're looking to the future, planning for it, they're bridging the gap between our elected leaders' strategic direction, and building that relationship with our community leaders and our citizens.
we also recommit to addressing the lack of equal opportunity that many still face.
The levy that you set tonight, it's your maximum. When we come back in December, you cannot go over what you set tonight. And that's why we call it our maximum levy.
When we sit down to put a budget together, budgets are really moral documents. They're your values. They're not just financial in nature.
This is a really big step, and you saw it earlier on the slide about the levy that we actually put on last year, and now fully levying it for 2027. We no longer use cash on hand to pay for those paramedics. We actually now have to levy for that.
Ordinances & Resolutions (7)
Resolution for the adoption of the preliminary property tax levy for 2026, collectible in 2027.
Employment contract detailing compensation for police sergeants.
Plan guiding the city's investment in capital assets and infrastructure.
Plan guiding the city's long-term financial strategy.
Federal grant applied for to fund the hiring of firefighter-paramedics.
Study conducted in 2025-2026 that identified the need for more firefighters.
The city's Comprehensive Plan, undergoing an update process with a public workshop.