During a recent Cottage Grove City Council Meeting, council member Steve Dennis took the floor to summarize Cottage Grove’s 2020. His reason for piecing together the “2020 Year In Review” was to acknowledge some of this year’s spectacular occurrences. He declared, “Really, what this is all about is an opportunity for us to highlight and recognize some of the great accomplishments that we’ve made together as a team over the course of the year. When I talk about the team, I’m talking about everyone in the community.”

In preparing for his sixth annual “Year In Review” lecture, Dennis connected with each department of the city’s structure; Administration, Finance, Community Development, Parks and Recreation, Public Safety, and Public Works. Then, he took note of their specific accomplishments. In this process, Dennis discovered that, despite the effects of a global pandemic, all aspects of the city experienced countless successes. His hope was that he selected the best ones to present in a brief speech. The Cottage Grove Journal tuned into Dennis’ “2020 Year In Review” to inform readers on Cottage Grove’s key developments of the year.

Dennis began on the topic of Cottage Grove’s Administration Department. In 2020, a grand total of 38 City Council meetings occurred. Over the course of those meetings, 450 topics were addressed. Another accomplishment of the administration was how they hosted a timely and accurate presidential election. 23,000 people registered to vote in Cottage Grove this year. Also, the administration took next steps in providing “full spectrum housing for the community” over the last few months. They did this by breaking the ground for Grove 80; the future 120 unit apartment complex on 80th Street. This is considered a wonderful achievement, for it will diversify shelter options in Cottage Grove. This could lead to more people becoming long term residents of Cottage Grove in the future. Next, Dennis pointed out that The Administration Department collaborated with City Council and the EDA to establish the Small Business Assistance Program. 19 local businesses were aided during the emergency shutdown last spring, as a result. Dennis clarified how this was possible, “The money came from the EDA, which is not tax derived and it was used to help keep those businesses open and bridge them to where they are now.”

The acts of Cottage Grove’s Administration Department were brought to a close with discussion over the construction of the Convention and Visitor Bureau. This building’s significance lies in how it will attract potential residents and tourists to Cottage Grove.

Next, Dennis took a moment to recognize the exceptional financial state of Cottage Grove in 2020. The Government Finance Officers Association granted the city with The Credit Rating AA+. This is the 30th consecutive year where Cottage Grove earned this grade. Dennis explained the significance of this reward to citizens, “That represents excellence in terms of how we run the financial end of our business.”

However, the Finance Department’s list of accomplishments didn’t conclude there. In 2020, Cottage Grove raised the property taxes.