Tax Comparisons

The City of Cottage Grove City Council has had, and continues to have, a goal of maintaining a moderate local tax rate. As a result, our tax rate has declined in five of the past six years, representing a 20% decline in the rate since 2004. Our local tax rate is currently at the mean of comparative cities, having achieved the Council goal. In total effective tax rate including County, School District, and miscellaneous taxing jurisdictions we are also at about the mean in the larger metro area with a position at 55th of 117 cities and towns (with 117 being lowest / 2008 data).

Cottage Grove aggressively manages taxpayer contributions to its governmental operations. In annual comparisons to a group of 30 similarly sized Twin Cities metro communities we consistently rank in the lowest 30% in governmental staffing per capita. In our most recent comparison our staffing was 12.7% below the mean of comparison communities.

Our total annual spending follows a similar trend comparatively. Our operational spending per capita is about 19% below the mean of comparative communities. We have achieved a spending level that places us at third lowest on a per capita basis among our peers. However, the services received by our taxpayers continues at high levels with our Public Safety and Public Works spending consistently at or about the mean levels among similar communities with savings to the taxpayer realized by constraining spending in internal back office cost centers.

Cottage Grove's active fiscal management has been rewarded by four rating agency upgrades in the past ten years. Our most recent ratings were as a Moody's AA1 and S&P AA+.