City of Owatonna honored with 2024 LMC City of Excellence Award

The City of Owatonna received the League of Minnesota Cities 2024 City of Excellence Award for the 5,000-29,999 population category Thursday at the League’s Annual Conference in Rochester. Owatonna was honored for its “Coptober Event Program.”

The Owatonna Police Department partnered with the Owatonna Public Library to organize Coptober, an event that provides a safe and friendly environment where police officers could build relationships with Owatonna youth and their caregivers.

The free, one-day event was first held at the Owatonna Public Library in October during the 2022 Minnesota Education Association (MEA) break and was repeated in 2023. Coptober included hands-on demonstrations for kids including evidence processing, a police uniform photo booth, book readings, squad tours, and K9 visits. These engaging activities informed kids and their caregivers about safety and crime prevention and allowed them to strengthen relationships with Owatonna city employees.

The City of Excellence Awards are given yearly by the League of Minnesota Cities in three population categories and one topical category. The awards recognize cities for outstanding programs or projects. Each winning city will receive a plaque, a check for $1,000, and recognition in League publications and promotional activities throughout the coming year.

The League of Minnesota Cities is a membership organization dedicated to helping cities throughout Minnesota build quality communities through effective advocacy, expert analysis, trusted guidance, and collective action. The League serves over 830 member cities through advocacy, education and training, policy development, risk management, and other services.