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Cottage Grove library campaign to use segregated account; referendum set for April 1
Summary
Village finance director outlined a new segregated library capital campaign account and timelines for a silent fundraising phase. The Friends group pledged a staggered gift and discussed transferring land to support the project, all contingent on an April 1 referendum.
The Village of Cottage Grove Library Board heard Jan. 15 that the library capital campaign will use a segregated library account to track donations for the proposed library project, and that campaign activity will remain contingent on a referendum scheduled for April 1.
Cameron Swagger, the village finance director, told the board the campaign team and staff “decided that it made the most sense to get a segregated library capital campaign account. So every dollar of that activity will flow independently of any village asset.” He said the account will be a library board account with the library board president and the treasurer as authorized signers.
The arrangement, Swagger said, is intended to keep campaign funds separate from routine village finances while allowing the board to receive monthly balance updates. “My intention would just be to provide Cindy with a set a a dollar update on a monthly basis,” he said, describing the planned cadence for accounting updates.
Why it matters: a segregated account centralizes campaign receipts and pledges and creates clearer reporting to donors and the board ahead of the April 1 referendum. Swagger said the campaign leadership team plans to begin a silent phase immediately and that pledge forms have been finalized and printed for use at village hall.
Board members discussed how anonymous donations would be handled. Swagger said the Friends of the Cottage Grove can accept anonymous gifts and then pledge on behalf of donors; the village will track those pledges. He reiterated that all pledges are “contingent on a passing referendum on April 1st.”
The Friends group provided two items of campaign support, board members said: a formal, staggered financial pledge and a plan related to library land. According to the Friends report presented to the board, the Friends will transfer land to the library board if a building is not constructed on the Friends' land; proceeds connected to that land would be used to support the library project. Megan, who reviewed the Friends' document, said the group's pledge is “staggered out over the course of the year” and is contingent on the referendum passing.
The board president reported that the Village Board approved the referendum question and submitted it for the April 1 ballot. Swagger and board staff also said the state Department of Revenue and final legal review had approved the submission.
The board did not take a formal vote on campaign structure at the meeting. Miller Communications is preparing a press release and will begin a public information phase; campaign details and updates will be posted to the library project page on the village website. The board's next regular meeting is Feb. 19.
