Based on the names and roles provided, I have added speaker identifications to the transcript. Note: The transcription contains some phonetic misspellings of names (e.g., "Kata/Klausen/Comat" refers to **Councilmember David Clausen**, and "Thei/The" refers to **Councilmember Dave Thiede**). I have used the correct names from your provided list. *** **[00:00:00] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Good evening. Uh, this is the December 20th, uh, 2023, Cottage Grove City Council meeting, which I'm calling to order. Uh, the, uh, first order of business is the Pledge of Allegiance, so please rise. **[00:00:15] Group:** 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. **[00:00:30] Mayor Myron Bailey:** All right. Will the clerk please do the roll? **[00:00:33] Tammy Anderson (City Clerk):** Councilmember Clausen? **[00:00:34] Councilmember David Clausen:** Present. **[00:00:35] Tammy Anderson (City Clerk):** Councilmember Olsen? *(No response)* **[00:00:36] Tammy Anderson (City Clerk):** Councilmember Thiede? **[00:00:37] Councilmember Dave Thiede:** Here. **[00:00:38] Tammy Anderson (City Clerk):** Councilmember Garza? **[00:00:39] Councilmember Monique Garza:** Ho, ho, ho! Present. **[00:00:41] Tammy Anderson (City Clerk):** Mayor Bailey? **[00:00:42] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Hi, here. All right. Uh, next on our agenda this evening is Open Forum. Uh, this is the opportunity for anybody who wants to speak on something that's not on tonight's agenda is welcome to do so. Uh, being that we have just staff in the audience, I don't believe there's anybody here. Um, so I'm just going to move from Open Forum to, uh, number five, which is adoption of the agenda. **[00:01:05] Councilmember Dave Thiede:** Move the agenda. **[00:01:06] Mayor Myron Bailey:** All right, so it'll be a motion by Councilmember Thiede. Do I have a second? **[00:01:09] Councilmember Monique Garza:** I second. **[00:01:10] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Second by Councilmember Garza. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying aye. **[00:01:14] Councilmembers (Unison):** Aye. **[00:01:15] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Opposed? Motion carries. Six is presentations. You could tell this is the end of the year; uh, we don't have any presentations. Now we'll move on to seven, which is our consent agenda. Is there anything Council needs or wants to pull off consent? All right, seeing none, then I will look for a motion to approve consent. **[00:01:32] Councilmember David Clausen:** I have a motion to approve consent. **[00:01:34] Mayor Myron Bailey:** All right, so we have a motion by Councilmember Clausen. Do I have a second? **[00:01:37] Councilmember Monique Garza:** I second. **[00:01:38] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Second by Councilmember Garza. All those in favor signify by saying aye. **[00:01:41] Councilmembers (Unison):** Aye. **[00:01:42] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Opposed? Motion carries. So if anybody was here for anything on, or watching for anything on consent, all of them have been approved. Uh, eight is approved disbursements. 8a is to pay the bills. **[00:01:54] Councilmember David Clausen:** I motion to pay the bill disbursements. **[00:01:56] Councilmember Dave Thiede:** All right, second. **[00:01:57] Mayor Myron Bailey:** All right, so we have a motion by Councilmember Clausen, second by Councilmember Thiede. Any other discussion? Again, seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. **[00:02:04] Councilmembers (Unison):** Aye. **[00:02:05] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Opposed? Motion carries. Nine is public hearings; there are none this evening. Uh, bid awards; there are none this evening. Uh, 11 is regular agenda, and there's only one. And that is the commission and committee appointments, uh, which I did send out, uh, so everybody has that on there or before them. And just so everybody is aware in the public, I will go real quick through it, um, and this is for the upcoming 2024 season. Uh, so Mayor Pro Tem would be Justin Olsen. Beyond the Yellow Ribbon will be Justin Olsen—or Councilmember Olsen, sorry. Um, I will be, uh, since, um, I know Monique is already on the board for the chamber, so I will be also on the chamber as the city representative between the two of us. So, since you're in that leadership role. The Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau will be Councilmember Olsen and Councilmember Clausen. East Metro Strong will be Monique Garza. Economic Development Authority will be myself and Councilmember Olsen. The Great River Rail Commission will be Councilmember Garza. Historic Preservation Advisory Committee will be Councilmember Thiede. The Holiday Train will be myself, which has been. The Investment Committee will stay the same with Councilmember Clausen and Councilmember Thiede. The Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission will be Councilmember Garza. Planning Commission will be Councilmember Clausen. The Public Services Commission will be Councilmember Thiede. The Red Rock Corridor Commission will be Councilmember Garza. South Washington County Telecommunications Commission will be Councilmember Thiede and Councilmember Garza on that one. And what it is, just so you know, because that wasn't on my initial, they needed a backup in case Dave's gone, so you were considered the backup. And then the South Washington County Watershed District will be Councilmember Thiede. And of course, Strawberry Fest will be Councilmember Thiede. So just letting everyone on the Council know that's the plans for this year, um, that's upcoming. So if there's no other further questions, I'll look for a motion and a second to approve. **[00:04:15] Councilmember Monique Garza:** I can make the motion. I will make a motion to approve the commission and committee appointments for 2024. **[00:04:21] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Okay, so a motion by Councilmember Garza. Do I have a second? **[00:04:24] Councilmember David Clausen:** I'll second. **[00:04:25] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Second by Councilmember Clausen. All those in favor signify by saying aye. **[00:04:28] Councilmembers (Unison):** Aye. **[00:04:29] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Opposed? Motion carries. All right, we're already now to Council comments and requests. So I'll start with my partner next to me here, Councilmember Clausen. **[00:04:36] Councilmember David Clausen:** Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, I don't have much to add today. I would just like to, um, thank staff for all their hard work at year-end. I know we're coming into strategic planning and then right after that'll be budgets again, so, um, vicious cycle. But, uh, and then everyone, I hope, has a safe and happy holiday. **[00:04:53] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Fantastic. All right, Councilmember Thiede. **[00:04:55] Councilmember Dave Thiede:** Well, let's all kind of maybe wish for some snow. I don't think I—I think we're going to have a brown Christmas this year, aren't we? Yeah. But, uh, so, uh, maybe, maybe we'll get some snow one of these days this winter. But I'd just like to wish everybody a happy holidays and be safe out there. And if you're traveling, uh, you know, hopefully you make it okay in our brown Christmas. **[00:05:15] Mayor Myron Bailey:** In our brown Christmas, yeah. All right, thank you, Councilmember. Councilmember Garza? **[00:05:18] Councilmember Monique Garza:** I just would like to say happy holidays to everyone. It seems like we've made up since the last committee meeting or the last city council meeting; this one flew by. **[00:05:28] Mayor Myron Bailey:** It did. **[00:05:29] Councilmember Monique Garza:** So, thank you all. But no, you all have a wonderful holiday. Thank you. **[00:05:32] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Fantastic. So I just have two real quick things. One is more of a formality. Um, as this Council is aware, at our last Council meeting, when the Council meeting was finished, we did do a performance review for our administrator, Jennifer Levitt. And this is just kind of my recap to mention that it was a very, very good performance review. Great feedback, both from us to Jennifer and sharing ideas and great things with Jennifer. So I just wanted to say that—and I'm sure I can speak for the Council for Jennifer Levitt—we really appreciate all the work you're doing and the great things that are happening in the city, and we want to see you continue to do that for the years ahead. So, thank you. And then my only other thing was basically piggybacking on everybody else up here. We knew this meeting was going to fly by very quickly because it always seems to be at the last meeting of the year. But I do want to wish all of our staff, all the citizens, my partners here up at the Council, a very Merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year. However you celebrate it, whether it's a brown Christmas or not. You know, my yard looks a little brown, but I have lights on it, so we're all good. **[00:06:40] Councilmember Dave Thiede:** Can't even see the grass. **[00:06:41] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Yeah, because I have so much stuff on the yard, yeah. That's about true. That's true. But again, just appreciate all the work that the staff has done over the last year, and obviously we have a lot of great things happening in the queue for 2024. And so I do look forward to our strategic planning session in early January for the rest of you. So everybody have a safe and prosperous holiday season. 13 and 14 are workshops which are open to the public and closed to the public, which we don't have any this evening. So we're all the way down already to motion to adjourn. **[00:07:11] Councilmember Dave Thiede:** [Motion to adjourn]. **[00:07:12] Councilmember Monique Garza:** I second. **[00:07:13] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Seconded by Councilmember Garza. All those in favor? **[00:07:15] Councilmembers (Unison):** Aye. **[00:07:16] Mayor Myron Bailey:** Opposed? Merry Christmas, everyone. We're adjourned.