[14:12] All right. Good evening everyone. Uh
[14:14] this is the August 19th, 2026 Cottage
[14:17] Grove City Council meeting which I'm
[14:18] calling to order. Our first order of
[14:20] business is the pledge of allegiance. So
[14:22] if you please rise.
[14:25] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
[14:28] United States of America and to the
[14:30] republic for which it stands, one nation
[14:33] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[14:37] justice for all.
[14:41] » All right. Will the uh clerk please do
[14:43] the role?
[14:43] >> Council member Clawson
[14:44] >> here.
[14:45] >> Council member Olsen
[14:46] >> here.
[14:46] >> Council member Thei
[14:47] >> here.
[14:48] >> Council member Garza
[14:49] >> here. Mayor Bailey
[14:50] >> here. All right. Next item on our agenda
[14:53] is open forum. This is the opportunity
[14:54] for anybody who wants to speak on
[14:56] anything that's not on tonight's agenda.
[14:58] I will mention we did have a signup
[14:59] sheet out in the entryway, but nobody
[15:01] did sign up. Uh just wanted to make sure
[15:03] no one snuck in that wants to speak
[15:05] during open forum. Seeing none, I'm
[15:08] going to go ahead and close open forum
[15:09] and I'm going to move to number five,
[15:10] which is adoption of the agenda.
[15:12] >> Move the agenda.
[15:13] >> All right. So, we have a motion by
[15:15] council member Theiti and a second by
[15:16] council member Garza. All those in favor
[15:19] signify by saying I. I.
[15:20] >> I. Opposed.
[15:22] >> Motion carries. [clears throat]
[15:23] All right. Now, we go to presentations.
[15:25] And for those of you can't see from
[15:27] home, if you're watching on on TV, uh we
[15:30] have a very very large group of people
[15:32] out in the out in the entryway area. Uh
[15:34] because we do have a special um event,
[15:37] couple of special events tonight
[15:38] actually. The first one is the A is the
[15:40] public safety swearing in ceremony uh
[15:43] for uh uh to appoint Brad Peterson as
[15:45] the public safety director. And so, uh,
[15:48] before we get to the actual nuts and
[15:50] bolts of it, um, council, I do need, uh,
[15:53] a motion and a second, uh, to approve
[15:57] his promotion.
[15:58] >> Mayor, I would like to, uh, move that we
[16:01] appoint Brad Peterson as public safety
[16:05] director and chief law enforcement
[16:06] officer for the city of Cottage Grove.
[16:08] >> All right. So, I have a motion by
[16:09] council member Olsson. Do I have a I'll
[16:11] second that.
[16:11] >> Second by council member Theiti. Any
[16:14] discussion?
[16:16] You don't want to talk about it. Where
[16:17] is he? [laughter]
[16:19] All right. All those in favor signify by
[16:21] saying I. I. I. Opposed. Motion carries.
[16:24] So, I don't know. Does the group out in
[16:26] the entryway want to come in? All right.
[16:28] Come on in. Uh, council, let's go down
[16:30] in front. I know our administrator is
[16:32] going to administer the oath.
[16:34] [cough and clears throat]
[16:49] You guys know the drill.
[16:52] as far down as you can.
[17:07] [laughter]
[17:17] » That's not my position.
[17:26] stack.
[17:31] Oh, no.
[17:52] » The uniforms provide good cover.
[17:57] >> Put Dandel in front.
[17:58] >> Nope. I'm walking with
[18:06] [laughter]
[18:12] » Well, good evening everybody. Tonight is
[18:14] a very special night. Tonight we will be
[18:16] swearing in a new public safety director
[18:19] and police chief for the city of Cottage
[18:21] Grove in Brad Peterson. Brad is a
[18:24] longtime resident of Cottage Grove where
[18:26] he lives with his wife and their two
[18:28] adult sons. He is actively involved in
[18:31] the community serving the Mississippi
[18:33] River Valley Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
[18:35] and the Cottage Grove Lions Club. Before
[18:38] beginning his law enforcement career,
[18:40] Brad earned a bachelor's degree in
[18:42] criminal justice and gained valuable
[18:44] experience as a firefighter and
[18:46] paramedic. He is a 23-year veteran of
[18:49] the Cottage Grove Police Department
[18:51] where he has served in a variety of
[18:52] roles including community service
[18:54] officer, police officer, paramedic,
[18:57] field training officer, instructor,
[19:00] detective, and patrol sergeant. As the
[19:03] deputy director of public safety, Brad
[19:05] served as the patrol captain and interim
[19:08] director of public safety. He also
[19:10] served several roles with the Washington
[19:12] County SWAT team, ultimately retiring as
[19:15] the assistant commander. During his law
[19:18] enforcement career, Brad served for 10
[19:20] years as a calvary officer in the
[19:23] Minnesota National Guard. Brad is
[19:25] committed to enhancing public safety,
[19:28] strengthening community partnerships,
[19:30] and serving the residents of Cottage
[19:31] Grove with professionalism and
[19:33] dedication.
[19:35] The position of police chief plays a
[19:38] critical role in our community. The
[19:40] badge that is worn represents the top
[19:43] tier of leadership in public safety,
[19:46] holds the ultimate accountability and
[19:48] burden of public safety decisions. The
[19:51] badge signifies absolute commitment to
[19:54] serving the community. It also
[19:56] represents and sets the moral and
[19:58] professional standard and tone for the
[20:01] entire public safety team. Tonight's
[20:04] oath and badge pinning carries with it
[20:06] the public's trust and confidence. And
[20:10] tonight, his wife, Jeanie, will be
[20:12] pinning his badge.
[20:18] All right, Brad, please raise your right
[20:20] hand and repeat after me. I, Brad M.
[20:24] Peterson,
[20:24] >> I, Brad M. Peterson
[20:26] >> do solemnly swear
[20:28] >> that [snorts] I will support the
[20:29] Constitution of the United States
[20:31] >> that I will support the Constitution of
[20:32] the United States
[20:33] >> in the state of Minnesota
[20:35] >> and faithfully discharge the duties
[20:37] >> and faithfully dischar and faithfully
[20:39] discharge the duties
[20:41] >> of the position of public safety
[20:42] director and police chief
[20:44] >> of the position of the public safety
[20:45] director and police chief
[20:47] >> for the city of Cottage Grove
[20:49] >> in the county of Washington
[20:52] >> and state of Minnesota
[20:54] >> to the best of my judgement and ability.
[20:56] >> Best of my judgment and ability.
[20:57] >> So help me God.
[20:59] >> Congratulations.
[20:59] >> Thank you.
[21:04] [applause]
[21:23] » [applause]
[21:36] » All right, I'm going to keep this quick.
[21:37] Those of you who know me um know I'm not
[21:39] about flowery speeches and
[21:41] overpromising. Um, I like to let my
[21:43] actions and and the reputation of the
[21:45] department uh do the talking for us. Um,
[21:48] but I figured tonight's a a milestone
[21:50] for for me and the department and I
[21:52] figured it wouldn't be a good look to to
[21:54] not give uh give proper ad to the people
[21:57] who played a role in my career and put
[21:58] me in this position. So, uh, without
[22:00] further ado, uh, I want to recognize my family for their sacrifices and their
[22:05] support. uh your patience for the long
[22:08] hours, the many meetings, the endless
[22:12] stream of phone calls and emails at all
[22:15] hours of the night. Um your patience for
[22:17] that uh means more to me than I could
[22:20] ever express. Um I wish I could say it's
[22:23] going to get better, but we all know
[22:25] it's not. [laughter] The Chief's badge
[22:28] comes with a heavy burden and a lot of
[22:30] responsibility, and if anybody knows me,
[22:32] uh I'm going to step up to that
[22:33] challenge and do it to the best of my
[22:34] ability. And so I apologize in advance.
[22:37] Uh it's going to be a long five years
[22:38] until I retire. [laughter] Um but what I
[22:42] do know uh is that I couldn't shoulder
[22:44] that responsibility without my family.
[22:46] And so I appreciate you standing by my
[22:48] side and supporting me uh and uh letting
[22:51] me focus all of my energies on the
[22:53] community and this team. Um it means a
[22:55] lot to me. So thank you.
[22:58] I'm incredibly honored and grateful for
[23:00] this opportunity to serve our community.
[23:02] I'm honored to lead this exceptional
[23:04] public safety team. When I look around
[23:07] every single day, I'm impressed. I'm
[23:10] proud. I'm honored every day with the
[23:12] way you deliver top-notch care and
[23:15] service to our community. So, thank you.
[23:18] >> And I'm proud to carry on this proud
[23:20] legacy. And I want to take this
[23:22] opportunity to acknowledge retired Chief
[23:24] Pete Kerner for your leadership and
[23:26] mentorship and everything you've done to
[23:28] position this organization and me at
[23:30] this moment in time. So, thank you and
[23:33] to your family as well because I know
[23:34] the sacrifices you made as well,
[23:38] mayor and council and city
[23:39] administrator. Thank you for the trust
[23:42] and the support that you've shown me and
[23:44] this team. Um, your ongoing support um
[23:48] allows us to do what we do every single
[23:50] day. We couldn't do it without you. So,
[23:52] thank you.
[23:54] Until recently, I never aspired to this
[23:57] role or imagine myself standing here
[23:58] tonight. I think most of us could agree
[24:01] upon that. Nobody saw me here in this
[24:03] moment, right? Um and so sometimes in
[24:07] angst and sometimes in serious
[24:09] reflection and always humbled by this
[24:11] experience, I've often asked myself
[24:13] recently, how did I get here?
[24:17] And it comes down to two things. I care
[24:20] incredibly about this community and I'll
[24:22] work tirelessly to advance our public
[24:24] safety agenda. And secondly,
[24:27] I'm surrounded by an incredible public
[24:29] safety team, friends, families, mentors,
[24:34] staff, and leaders, and community
[24:35] partners throughout this city and this
[24:37] community that share my passion, my
[24:39] vision, and you've shaped me into the servant leader that this
[24:45] organization needs today and in the
[24:47] future. And so for that, I'm grateful
[24:50] for the trust, the support, and the
[24:51] guidance that you've all invested with
[24:53] me.
[24:56] While Cottage Grove is is while Cottage
[24:58] Grove public safety is undergoing many
[25:00] changes, under my leadership, we will
[25:02] remain fiercely committed to the core
[25:04] values, mission, vision, and strategic
[25:06] goals that's made us successful to this
[25:08] date. Some things will not change. We'll
[25:12] continue to deliver exceptional service
[25:14] with empathy.
[25:16] We'll work alongside our community as
[25:18] partners to promote safety and security.
[25:21] to maintain the public's trust. We will
[25:22] be transparent and held to the highest
[25:24] professional standards
[25:26] and [clears throat] we will be resilient
[25:28] and innovative as we adapt to the growth
[25:30] and challenges that lie ahead. Kajill
[25:33] public safety will continue to be a
[25:35] source of community pride.
[25:37] I'm thankful for this opportunity and
[25:39] grateful to everyone who made it
[25:40] possible. I'm extremely proud to lead
[25:42] the men and women of Cottage Grove
[25:44] public safety and I look forward to the
[25:46] work ahead.
[25:48] Thank you to those who joined us
[25:49] tonight. It means a lot to me and our
[25:51] entire team and thank you for the many
[25:53] messages of quick congratulations and
[25:55] support that I've received over the
[25:56] recent days. This evening is a
[25:59] meaningful milestone for me and the
[26:01] team. So, let's take a minute to
[26:03] celebrate because tomorrow it's back to
[26:05] work. Our focus returns to the
[26:07] community,
[26:09] our mission and the team.
[26:11] Together with our residents and
[26:13] community partners and this devoted
[26:14] public safety team, we'll continue
[26:16] building a community that we're all
[26:17] proud of. And so thank you.
[26:21] [applause]
[26:45] for us here with all the council.
[26:47] >> You're wonderfully important, by the
[26:48] way. That's [laughter]
[26:51] >> That's perfect. One, two, three.
[26:52] Everybody's smiling. It's perfect.
[26:56] >> Thank you.
[27:04] » I know. Beautiful.
[27:07] [laughter]
[27:09] Okay, we're going to do a handful of
[27:11] them so my communications friends don't
[27:13] get cranky.
[27:16] >> A very serious role here.
[27:26] » Thank you everybody.
[27:32] a little bit.
[27:42] » Oh, actually everybody hang on. Hang on.
[27:45] We got one more thing to do.
[27:47] >> Oh, sorry. Sorry. I'm screwing up
[27:49] already as my first official moment.
[27:51] [laughter]
[27:54] [clears throat]
[28:00] » [clears throat]
[28:00] >> All right. So, my first official act as
[28:02] the director of public safety and police
[28:03] chief is going to be bittersweet. Um, I
[28:05] get the the pleasure, the honor um to
[28:08] honor and recognize uh reserve sergeant
[28:12] Matt Jordan tonight after his his
[28:14] retirement. And it's bittersweet to me u
[28:17] because Matt is a friend. He's been an
[28:20] asset to this organization. Uh and so on
[28:22] one hand, I'm sorry to see him go. On
[28:24] the other hand, I know that he's going
[28:26] to have more time to spend with his
[28:27] family and more time to devote to uh his
[28:30] other service endeavors in the
[28:32] community. And so, I'm I'm glad that
[28:34] he'll be able to do that. And so, uh
[28:36] before I get carried away, I want to
[28:37] invite Matt to come up in front of the
[28:39] crowd. I know he's going to love this.
[28:41] [laughter]
[28:43] [clears throat]
[28:44] >> Yeah.
[28:50] » All right. So, I'm going to read uh the
[28:53] certificate real quick and then I'm
[28:55] going to add Lib and talk a little bit
[28:57] about Matt and he's going to enjoy every
[28:59] minute of it. [clears throat]
[29:01] In recognition of outstanding
[29:03] excellence, Reserve Sergeant Matt Jordan
[29:05] is presented the certificate of
[29:06] appreciation. With great with great
[29:08] appreciation, the Collegegrow Police
[29:10] Department recognizes your dedicated and
[29:12] exceptional service as a reserve
[29:14] officer. During your 13-year career, you
[29:16] volunteered over 10,000 hours in support
[29:18] of CGPD's mission and provided
[29:20] exceptional service to the citizens of
[29:22] Cottage Grove. You demonstrated calm
[29:24] professionalism, selfless service, an
[29:27] everpresent helping hand, and genuine
[29:29] care for our community. You were a
[29:31] dependable partner and trusted mentor
[29:32] within the public safety team. You
[29:34] embodied CGPD's model of guardians
[29:37] serving our community. And for that,
[29:38] CDPD is eternally grateful for your
[29:41] service and friendship.
[29:43] And so in just a moment I'm going to
[29:44] present Matt with this certificate and
[29:46] the badge that he wore uh for the last
[29:49] 13 years. And so this is something new.
[29:51] We've never done this here in Cottage
[29:53] Grove where we recognize a retiring
[29:56] reserve officer with their badge and the
[29:57] certificate. Um
[30:00] we felt it was time to start honoring
[30:02] them, recognize them for their
[30:04] incredible service and the amount uh of
[30:06] effort that they put into this program.
[30:08] So, for those of you who aren't f
[30:09] familiar with the reserve program, um
[30:11] they're 100% volunteer sworn officers
[30:14] who uh do all the things that aren't
[30:17] glamorous and uh but they're are vital
[30:20] to our mission, right? They they direct
[30:22] traffic when it's raining during the
[30:23] parades and events. Uh they stand on our
[30:26] perimeter. They transport prisoners to
[30:28] jail at night. Um whatever it is, they
[30:30] answer the call and they do it for no
[30:32] pay. Um, sometimes it's because uh, this
[30:36] position is a stepping stone to a law
[30:38] enforcement career, but in other times
[30:41] it's just a truly devoted individual who
[30:43] wants to give back to the community. And
[30:45] that's the case for for Matt Jordan. For
[30:47] the last 13 years, he wasn't pursuing a
[30:49] career in law enforcement. He did he did
[30:51] this because he loves Cottage Grove. U,
[30:53] he answered the call every time we
[30:55] asked. He [clears throat] was a
[30:58] the consmate professional. He never
[31:00] questioned, never complained. he just
[31:02] stepped up and he did what was great,
[31:04] what was [clears throat] right for the
[31:05] community uh and what was helpful to the police department. And so for that,
[31:10] for being a friend to all of us uh for
[31:12] your service to everybody here on the
[31:14] whole public safety team, I can't thank
[31:16] you enough. And again, I want to
[31:18] apologize and thank your family for all
[31:20] the years and hours that you've
[31:21] dedicated. Um and so with that, Matt, I
[31:25] want to present you this certificate and
[31:26] your badge that you work for the last 15
[31:28] years. [applause]
[31:35] » [applause]
[31:44] » Everybody smiling
[31:46] outside.
[31:50] » Let's Let's have the family come up.
[31:53] Come on up here. Let's get you in the
[31:54] picture, too. Yep. Mom, dad, too.
[31:56] >> Kids, wife.
[32:00] That's
[32:22] one more. So, hold on.
[32:28] Awesome.
[32:29] [laughter]
[32:40] Thank you. Appreciate it.
[32:42] Congratulations, guys.
[32:44] >> Nice job. You got it.
[32:48] >> Thank you.
[32:55] » Um, no, I've already
[33:06] Everybody appreciate it. Means a lot.
[33:19] » [laughter]
[33:33] » I love the turn we have. Thank you so
[33:36] much.
[33:37] >> You know, that's just always nice. It is
[33:39] definitely
[33:40] >> It's the love. You can't beat that.
[33:48] » [laughter]
[34:05] » I'll sit. I'll sit. Yeah, I'll I'll
[34:12] [cough]
[34:14] » All right. As you can see, we have a
[34:16] large group that was here for these two
[34:18] great events.
[34:20] >> We're just going to let the doors close
[34:21] and then we'll uh get her going.
[34:37] » You going to talk about the new
[34:39] >> What's that?
[34:40] >> Are you going to talk about the new
[34:41] seat?
[34:42] >> Yes.
[35:08] No, I was going to say if you want to go
[35:09] out there and mingle, you're welcome to
[35:10] do so.
[35:11] >> [laughter]
[35:12] >> All right, sounds good. All right. Uh,
[35:14] next on our agenda is the consent
[35:16] agenda. Um, is there anything that
[35:18] council would like to pull on consent?
[35:20] Council member Olson.
[35:21] >> Item D, please.
[35:22] >> Item D for you. Okay,
[35:23] >> I'll do I'll do E.
[35:24] >> And then, uh, Council Member is going to
[35:26] do E. Is there anything else? Okay. So,
[35:29] we'll go ahead and start with uh, item D
[35:31] for Council Member Rosa, which is a
[35:33] planning commission appointment.
[35:34] Ironically,
[35:35] >> it is.
[35:37] >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh, council. I pulled
[35:39] this item because I simply wanted to ask
[35:42] for your support in the [clears throat]
[35:43] appointment of Pete Kerner to our
[35:46] Cottage Grove Planning Commission with a
[35:48] term that will end on February 28th,
[35:51] 2027. For those of you who don't know
[35:53] Pete, he's a longtime resident of the
[35:55] city of Cottage Grove. Uh he did grow up
[35:58] here. He went to Park High School. Um he
[36:02] uh served the community as a youth
[36:04] athletics coach for several years. and
[36:06] oh by the way he was our public safety
[36:08] director for quite some time as well. Um
[36:10] Pete recently retired from that role but
[36:13] has a strong desire to continue serving
[36:15] the community. Uh Pete is also a member
[36:17] of the Cottage Grove Lions Club and very
[36:20] active in that role but since he had a
[36:23] little spare time uh he thought maybe
[36:25] joining the planning commission would be
[36:27] a good idea and I happen to agree. So,
[36:30] uh, we are looking to appoint Pete to,
[36:33] uh, a term on the planning commission
[36:35] with your support and I would ask for
[36:37] your unanimous consent. Thank you,
[36:39] mayor.
[36:39] >> Awesome. Fantastic. Thank you. And then
[36:42] item E is the park, recreation, and
[36:44] natural resource commission appointment.
[36:46] Uh, Keer to a youth seat.
[36:48] >> Yes. So, I I also have a a
[36:51] recommendation for commission for parks
[36:53] and wreck and and uh so, uh, Vice Chair
[36:57] Susie Brown and I interviewed Kase Keer,
[37:00] uh, who's actually I think he's a junior
[37:05] this year, uh, or he might even be a
[37:07] senior now. I got I can't remember. But
[37:10] at any rate, he he's actually a perfect
[37:13] person to be a youth member of the parks
[37:16] and wreck. He he actually is a volunteer
[37:19] with the uh uh with parks and wreck and a uh u staff member for the
[37:25] supervised summer playground and uh so
[37:28] he's uh glad he stepped up and uh I'd
[37:32] appreciate it very much if he uh was
[37:34] approved because he's a perfect
[37:35] selection.
[37:36] >> Fantastic. Thank you.
[37:37] >> In my opinion.
[37:38] >> All righty. So, seeing nothing else was
[37:40] uh pulled on consent this evening, uh
[37:42] I'll look for a motion to approve and a
[37:44] second. I'll make a motion to approve.
[37:46] >> Okay. So, we have a motion by uh council
[37:48] member Garz. Do I have a second?
[37:49] >> I will second.
[37:50] >> Second by council member Clawson. Any
[37:52] further discussions?
[37:54] >> Seeing none, all those in favor signify
[37:56] by saying I.
[37:57] >> I. Opposed.
[37:58] >> Motion carries. So, if anybody's
[38:00] watching or happen to be here for
[38:01] anything on tonight's consent agenda,
[38:04] all of those items have been approved.
[38:06] Uh number eight is approved
[38:08] dispersement. AA is to pay the bills.
[38:10] >> Move the bills.
[38:10] >> We have a motion by council member
[38:12] Olsen, second by council member Theiti.
[38:14] Any further discussion? Seeing none, all
[38:17] those in favor signify by saying I.
[38:18] >> I. I. Opposed. Motion carries. Well,
[38:22] we're moving quick here. Uh, public
[38:24] hearings, we have none. Number nine, 10,
[38:26] bid awards, we have none this evening.
[38:27] 11, regular agenda. There's nothing this
[38:29] evening. We're already down to council
[38:32] comments request. And I'll start down
[38:33] with Council Member Clawson.
[38:35] >> I've got nothing tonight, Mayor.
[38:36] >> Oh, there we go. He wants to get out of
[38:38] here. [laughter]
[38:39] >> All right. Thank you, Council Member
[38:41] Olsson.
[38:42] >> Well, thank you, Mayor. First and
[38:43] foremost, uh I want to get the important
[38:45] stuff out of the way. Uh the city of
[38:47] Cottage Grove recently held their
[38:49] employee appreciation event at River
[38:52] Oaks and uh it is my honor and duty uh
[38:56] because I lost a bet to congratulate um
[39:00] Captain Greg Renzel and uh Pat Nickel
[39:03] for their victory in the allimportant
[39:07] and extremely competitive uh bags
[39:10] tournament that was held. Um, I do know
[39:13] that the city administrator
[39:14] participated. Um, I believe her partner
[39:17] was uh our HR manager for the second
[39:20] year in a row and uh if I'm correct,
[39:24] they may have been bounced in the first
[39:26] round both years. Is that right? Is that
[39:28] accurate?
[39:31] >> Thank you for not using the word
[39:32] annihilated. Say
[39:33] >> yeah. Uh, [laughter] you know, pick your
[39:35] adjective. It's just fine. Um, but
[39:38] again, uh, congratulations to to Greg
[39:40] and Pat on their hard one victory. Uh, I
[39:43] also just wanted to take a moment, um,
[39:45] as we honored, um, a friend of mine this
[39:48] evening, Matt Jordan, uh, who serves
[39:50] with me on our, um, Mississippi River
[39:53] Valley Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Network
[39:55] team. He's our treasurer, um, along
[39:58] with, uh, Chief Peterson and and Captain
[40:01] Nickel and some others. Um Matt is a
[40:05] tremendous individual and if you know
[40:07] Matt um you know that he's a very quiet
[40:10] fella. He's not real flashy, but um Brad
[40:13] said it very well when he talked about
[40:15] Matt's contributions to the community
[40:17] over the last 13 years. And I just
[40:20] wanted to add my compliments to him for
[40:23] all the hard work and effort that he's
[40:25] put forth. I've seen him in action uh
[40:28] doing any number of jobs uh in uniform
[40:31] as a reserve, whether that's uh
[40:34] patrolling Strawberry Fest, helping out
[40:36] at the Fourth of July festival,
[40:37] directing traffic at parades, uh work
[40:40] working in all kinds of bad weather
[40:42] conditions, uh super hot, super cold,
[40:45] rainy, wet, etc. Never a complaint. And
[40:49] uh we're very lucky to have him as a
[40:51] member of this community. and we're also
[40:53] very grateful to have him as part of our
[40:56] Mississippi River Valley Beyond the
[40:57] Yellow Ribbon team. So, I just wanted to
[40:58] add my uh congratulations to him uh on
[41:02] his retirement. While I'm certainly
[41:04] happy for Matt and his family, I'm I'm
[41:06] sad for us, but um change is constant.
[41:09] So, uh we'll move forward and uh we'll
[41:12] move forward with gratitude. And then
[41:14] last, mayor, um I know you were at a
[41:18] ceremony last week in which the city of
[41:20] Cottage Grove was honored for uh our
[41:24] support of our military families and
[41:26] veterans in the community. And uh I just
[41:28] wanted to take a moment to uh
[41:31] congratulate the entire city uh city
[41:34] staff. Uh I know our public safety team
[41:36] was uh involved with this as well. Um
[41:40] this was quite an honor and something
[41:42] that uh you know I I understand um you
[41:46] were able to uh further commit to as we
[41:49] move forward. So um I mentioned our
[41:53] Mississippi River Alley beyond the
[41:54] yellow ribbon team. It's something that
[41:55] we take a great deal of pride in is
[41:57] supporting our our military families and
[41:59] our veterans and we have a lot of those
[42:00] folks who actually work for the city of
[42:02] Cottage Grove. and um congratulations to
[42:05] the the city for being recognized for
[42:08] that level of support. I think that's a
[42:10] very special thing. With that, I'll turn
[42:12] it back to you.
[42:12] >> Sounds good. I guess I'll I'll just real
[42:14] quick piggyback on what you just shared.
[42:16] Uh just to let you know, they will be
[42:17] coming
[42:18] >> to a future city council meeting to
[42:20] officially present us um and share with
[42:23] us the award that we got.
[42:25] >> Okay. Uh, and then obviously our goal is
[42:27] to continue to I'll call it move up
[42:29] ranks maybe [laughter]
[42:31] as we continue to support uh veterans
[42:33] and their families. So, all right. Uh,
[42:35] Council Member Theiti.
[42:37] >> Yeah, I really don't have too much to to
[42:39] add. Just also uh congratulate uh Brad
[42:43] for his advancement and and I know we'll
[42:45] be in good hands. Uh and uh and also to
[42:49] uh um Matt Jordan on hoping he has fun
[42:53] in his retirement and has time to to do
[42:56] some things as opposed to just attending
[42:58] to a honeydew list or something like
[43:00] that. But uh so uh that's all I got.
[43:04] >> All right, sounds good. Uh Council
[43:05] Member Garca.
[43:06] >> Thank you, Mayor. Well, congratulations,
[43:09] Brad, and your speech was great. So, you
[43:11] did well. I will talk food because that
[43:14] is my favorite thing to talk about. Um,
[43:17] we are having food trucks here tomorrow
[43:18] at city hall and it is a taco truck.
[43:21] It's Twin Cities taco truck from 11 to
[43:23] 1. So stop down to or stop up here to
[43:25] city hall and have some tacos. Following
[43:28] that next month, September 19th is our
[43:30] food truck festival. So that is going to
[43:33] be amazing with 30 plus food trucks and
[43:36] a lot of other fun activities that
[43:38] starts at 11:00. And come on down to
[43:40] Kingston Park and have fun with us with
[43:42] that. Mayor, give it back.
[43:43] >> There we go. And I guess I'll just
[43:45] piggyback on that just uh so it's from
[43:47] 11 till 6 uh at the Kingston Park. Uh
[43:51] and there is going to be some vendors
[43:52] and such there too I believe. Uh so it's
[43:55] not I shouldn't say not just food trucks
[43:57] because that's the purpose. Uh admission
[43:59] is free obviously got to pay for the
[44:00] food but there are some maybe giveaways
[44:02] and things at the And then there's
[44:03] music. So we have a variety of uh music
[44:06] opportunities there too. It almost
[44:07] sounds like a mini uh strawberry fest
[44:09] but in the fall. So, it's all it's all
[44:11] good and it's been very well attended
[44:13] the last couple years. Um, one other
[44:15] item I'll just mention real quick is
[44:17] there is going to be a public safety
[44:18] open house uh that will be um at the
[44:21] Hero Center uh at the training center
[44:23] next door here to city hall on
[44:24] Wednesday, September 23rd uh from 5 to
[44:27] 8:00 p.m. Uh lots of hands-on
[44:29] activities, things to explore, uh some
[44:32] giveaways. I'm sure there'll be some
[44:34] food there too. There always seems to
[44:35] be. Uh and uh it just you'll be able to
[44:38] see kind of what uh keeps our um local
[44:41] uh first responders uh active in our
[44:43] community and keep them safe as well as
[44:45] all of you safe. And then the last thing
[44:47] I'll just throw in there, um, not
[44:49] specific to that, but what was really
[44:52] telling tonight for me, uh, is when I
[44:55] look at all the people that were behind
[44:57] us, uh, when we were standing down in
[44:59] front, and then looking at, uh, the the
[45:03] previous, uh, public safety director,
[45:05] Pete Kerner, is a Cottage Grove guy.
[45:08] And, uh, now we got, uh, Brad, uh, who,
[45:11] uh, has, uh, been living here for quite
[45:13] a quite a long time and raised his
[45:14] family here. And I look at all the
[45:16] police officers and firefighters that
[45:18] are out there. There are so many that
[45:21] came up through the ranks, if you will,
[45:23] and came up as uh members of our
[45:25] community over the years. So, um, I
[45:27] truly believe that that is part of the
[45:30] reason I think there's such a connection
[45:33] within our community between our public
[45:34] safety and police, fire, EMS departments
[45:37] and the community here because so many
[45:40] of our police officers, medics, and uh,
[45:43] firefighters have all come up through
[45:45] and leadership specifically have come up
[45:47] through uh, being a member or uh, grew
[45:50] up here in Cottage Grove, maybe went to
[45:52] Park um, or whatever school. We'll we'll
[45:54] give him whatever.
[45:56] >> Well, okay.
[45:58] >> All right. All right. So,
[45:59] >> we we'll let it go.
[45:59] >> All right. Thank you. Thank you. I I'll
[46:01] do that. But, uh the I just want to say
[46:03] it's uh it's been uh fantastic to see
[46:06] and um Brad uh as you know, we've talked
[46:10] before uh very much uh excited for you
[46:12] and the team and really look forward to
[46:14] some continued amaze things happening in
[46:16] our public safety uh fire. I have to
[46:19] throw the fire and EMS in there with
[46:20] because that's your big title now. You
[46:22] have it all. So all right that was it
[46:25] for me then. Um and so we do not have
[46:28] any workshops open to the public or
[46:30] closed to the public. So we are now at
[46:31] the point of adjournment.
[46:34] >> All right. So we have a motion by
[46:34] council member Olsen. Do I have second
[46:37] by council member Garza?
[46:39] >> All of those in favor signify by saying
[46:40] I.
[46:41] >> I opposed. We are