Cottage Grove approves two-year police contract with raises, scheduling and policy alignments

The Cottage Grove Village Board on Oct. 20 approved a tentative two-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the police bargaining unit that will guide wages, scheduling and several policy alignments for 2026–2027.

Village Administrator Matt presented the agreement as the outcome of multiple bargaining sessions and said the package prioritized recruiting and retaining officers: a 7% wage increase for starting officers in 2026, a 6% increase for officers at one year of experience, and a 4.5% increase for other union steps in 2026; the contract also provides a further 4.5% increase across-the-board in 2027. Matt said the approach was designed to maintain market wages for all steps and to address shortfalls for entry-level hires.

The agreement also aligns the police holiday and health-insurance opt-out provisions with the village personnel manual. Labor counsel Troy Thompson said the parties also clarified ambiguous contract language to reduce future disputes and completed bargaining in three sessions: “From my perspective… the village achieved all of the goals that the committee laid out,” he said.

The contract includes a scheduling change for regular patrol duties (from six consecutive eight-hour days to five consecutive days at 8.5 hours) described as a wellness and safety measure, and it expands the detective position’s permissible schedule range to provide management more flexibility. The CBA adds language to support a future community liaison officer position; Police Chief described the role as a focal point to strengthen outreach to business and residential stakeholders.

The board approved the agreement by motion; the union had ratified the tentative agreement earlier in the month. The meeting did not go into closed session for the bargaining item. The vote was taken by voice; the motion carried.

Clarifying details recorded during the meeting included that longevity payments described in the contract are one-time payments on achieving specified steps and that the contract includes standard renewal/notice language requiring either party to give notice if it intends to reopen bargaining after the contract term.

What's next: the village will implement the contract terms beginning Jan. 1, 2026 (first year wages as specified) and follow standard hiring and scheduling adjustments under the new language.