MAYOR’S Moment

City amends food truck ordinance, chicken and duck guidelines

“Chickens, ducks and food trucks. What do these three have in common?”

That was Mayor Myron Bailey’s topic of choice for the Mayor’s Moment in May.

“The City Council and I have heard your concerns, and I’m excited to announce we’ve made some changes to how chickens, ducks, and food trucks, can exist in our city.,” Bailey makes known.

Flipping the order of review around to begin with food trucks, Mayor Bailey says that food trucks “may now operate and serve food to the public in more parts of Cottage Grove,” including on any commercial or industrial property “with of course the property owner’s consent,” he says.

The change comes as the city has voted to amend the food truck ordinance to allow for greater flexibility. Food trucks are allowed to park on residential properties as before, but can only serve food at private, catered events, also as before. That said, there’s a silver lining of sorts.

“The annual food truck license has been reduced from $350 to $250,” Bailey says in the Mayor’s Moment.

Shifting in turn to chickens and ducks, Bailey says that, “residents on smaller single family residential lots may now have backyard chickens and ducks.” The former ordinance allowed chickens or ducks only on lots from three to five acres, Bailey says.

Residents seeking to host chickens and ducks are required to apply for a twoyear license and complete a poultry or fowl education course. The limit for chickens or ducks per license is six. Applications, meanwhile, can be found on the city website with the following drop-down menu at www.cottagegrovemn. gov

• Home

• Doing Business

• Business Licenses

• Chickens and Ducks “We are really excited about these changes and hope you are too,” Bailey closes out the Mayor’s Moment for May.

Duck

Ducks

The City Council has made changes to how food trucks can operate in Cottage Grove.Image from CottageGroveMN YouTube