FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Cottage Grove
8/17/12  

For More Information Please Contact: 
Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 651-458-2822
Myron Bailey, Cottage Grove Mayor, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 651-459-4734
Justin Olsen, Council Member, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 651-459-6336
Jen Peterson, Council Member, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 651-271-2287

Please click here for a brief video supporting this press release.

Survey Says: Residents Happy with Cottage Grove

Results of an independent phone survey of Cottage Grove residents which was conducted by Decision Resources, Inc. in July show that 95% of responders rated their quality of life as either good or excellent.

When asked why they felt so positive about their community 71% gave high praise for the small town feel that’s been created within this growing Twin Cities suburb, the peaceful lifestyle or the friendliness of Cottage Grove.  Another 12% felt the location of the St. Paul suburb was a benefit, 9% enjoyed their neighborhood, another 7% appreciated being close to family and friends and 5% ranked the rural feel and proximity to open spaces as what they appreciated the most.

When asked for their most serious concern regarding the community 15% could not identify one.  This rating is twice that found in comparable recent surveys in other communities.
 
Over 89% of respondents felt parks are maintained in good to excellent condition.  Eighty-two percent gave a good to excellent rating for the trail system.  

Ninety-five percent of residents rated the City’s public safety services either good or excellent.  This was a significant increase from the 84% good/excellent rating in 2008.
 
Sixty-nine percent of respondents approve or strongly approve of the Cottage Grove City Council, up from a 55 % approval rating in the 2008 survey.  This rating places the satisfaction level of Cottage Grove residents towards their City Council within the top quartile of satisfaction levels within the Twin Cities area. 

Seventy-nine percent noted that the value of services received for the property taxes paid to the City was either good or excellent.  These ratings are also considered in the upper tier in comparison to surveys conducted over the past several years in other suburban communities.
 
“The survey results reflect the feeling that the majority of the citizens of our community appreciate the work that this City Council and Staff have done in the past 4 years,” commented Mayor Myron Bailey.  “I am honored and appreciate the vote of confidence by our citizenry.  The fact that the level of approval puts our City Council and Staff in the highest quartile of all cities in the Twin Cities Area was humbling and valued.” 

Both the Ice Arena and the River Oaks Golf Course quality ratings increased several percentage points from 2008 for those respondents using these facilities.

Seventy-five percent feel either "very well informed" or "somewhat well informed" with a similar percentage (77%) receiving the bulk of their information about Cottage Grove from either the local Newspaper, the City monthly newsletter or the City Website at www.cottage-grove.org.  According to the study, this level of information is unusually high in comparison with other suburban communities sharing similar demographics.

“I am very pleased with these results,” Council Member Jen Peterson commented, “the survey results really back up what I am hearing from most community members overall.  I make it a point to be very involved in my community and spend a lot of time either working or volunteering in Cottage Grove.  People often tell me that they feel that Cottage Grove is a great place that they are proud to call home."

When presented with the results Council Member Justin Olsen stated, “the findings by Decision Resource, a highly respected surveyor of public sentiment, speaks volumes to me about the strong level of satisfaction Cottage Grove residents have with our parks & trails system, public service delivery, and a top shelf Public Safety Department. Moreover, a vast majority of residents seem to truly appreciate the value they receive for their tax dollar with regard to maintaining a high quality of life in our community; which is always the top priority for our city staff in managing our municipal budget wisely, just as it is for me personally as a City Council Member.”

Statistically, this random sample survey of 400 persons has a 95% confidence level with a margin of error of +/- 5%.

See the complete survey results.