A Year To Remember-A Year To Anticipate.

By Mayor Joe Lockwood


Each January 1st, we eagerly look forward to the year ahead and the possibilities that lay before us. This anticipation is no different for City leadership, and the City of Milton has a lot to look forward to in 2008. While we’re looking ahead, though, we also should take a moment to look back on the year that has passed, and celebrate the accomplishments that we’ve made thus far. For Milton, the past year has been a year of birth; of standing up on our own two feet; and of the beginnings of a City that is becoming the "home" that we all wish for.


In our first year, we’ve set up a fully functioning City. We launched local police and fire departments, including getting our own ladder truck and swearing in our first K-9 officer, thanks to a generous donation from a Milton resident. Community Development and Public Works are running solidly; we’ve passed ordinances that help to define and shape what we want in our City; and our City Council has passed a balanced budget for 2008. We held our first special event, the Milton Roundup, to celebrate the City’s birthday, followed by the re-launch of the Crossroads at Crabapple Antique and Art fair. We held our first Transportation Town Hall Meeting in late November, giving citizens the chance to learn about initiatives and voice their opinions on issues like traffic calming, road maintenance, public bike/ped trails and more. And, we just wrapped up Milton Holiday Memories, a special holiday event that is destined to become a beloved memory for Milton children and adults alike throughout the coming years. It has been a great year so far.


Looking ahead, there is so much to get excited about! One of the most exciting items on the 2008 agenda is the development of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Milton started the comprehensive planning process in 2007, enlisting the expertise of a private consulting firm to oversee the process. Public interaction is of high importance in this process. Public meetings started in Crabapple late last year, and more meetings will be held as the planning process moves forward. The Comprehensive Plan is one of the most important goals for our City, as it will help to shape what Milton is to become. Milton currently operates under a plan adopted by the Fulton County Commission in November 2005. It’s time that we lay down the details that will make Milton unique, and it’s important that the people of Milton have a voice in the process.
I encourage each of you to get involved with the City by joining committees, attending meetings, completing surveys, and letting your voice be heard. Watch the City’s web site for news and information, and sign up for the City’s newsletter so that you’ll be the first to know what’s happening in Milton!


Happy New Year!


Joe Lockwood
Mayor
City of Milton, Ga.

During the Giving Season, Remember those who need us most.

It’s the holiday season again -- a time for each of us to remember how fortunate we are to live in such a great place, and to remember how important it is to help our neighbors. Over the next few weeks, families will drive from far away to spend time together; we’ll decorate our homes, enjoy pumpkin pie and turkey, and relax during a few well-earned holidays from our work.

But while we’re in our warm homes enjoying the festivities, we all must remember that many people this year won’t have the same warm smiles on their faces, or the chance to enjoy the holidays with the same luxuries as we do.

Across the metro-Atlanta area, there are families every day who don’t have a home to enjoy, enough food to feed their families, or even a warm coat to fight off the winter chill. Each of us has many opportunities to lend a helping hand this time of year. We can donate food and money to our area food banks that help out hundreds of families during the holiday season. We can bring gifts and volunteer our time at homeless shelters and children’s homes, or simply spend time visiting our elderly residents at nursing homes, helping to bring smiles to their faces and easing a bit of loneliness. We can clean out our closets and donate our warm coats and clothing through organizations like Sharing and Caring Hands or OneWarmCoat.org. The opportunities are endless -- all you have to do is look around you for ways to help.

Let’s also not forget our many brave service personnel who are away from their families and homes this holiday season. When many families sit down to their holiday feasts, there will be an empty seat at the table, waiting for a loved one to return. We can each make a difference in these soldiers’ lives, and can send them a warm light from home to show our love and appreciation. One organization, Soldiers’ Angels (www.soldiersangels.com), even provides an opportunity to adopt a solder during the holidays. In addition, students across the metro area are writing letters to soldiers to show their appreciation, and many organizations offer ways to send care packages, cards and letters to soldiers.

During this most festive season of the year, let’s remember those around us, and especially the homeless and hungry, and those fighting to preserve freedom around the world. We each have the ability to bring light and joy into the world and to make a difference.
Have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Warm regards,

Mayor Joe Lockwood

Many Thanks to The Milton Roundup, issue 3.

Letter from Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood

October 18, 2007

The City of Milton has made a lot of accomplishments during its first year, and things are busier than ever as we near the date of our incorporation on December 1. The City has passed its 2008 budget, property tax bills have been mailed (with an October 31 due date), and the City’s planning department is working on numerous zoning requests with the goal of ensuring that our City stays on the path that preserves the rural beauty that defines Milton. At the same time, students across Milton have returned to the classrooms, and Milton’s police force is working hard to keep our children and teenagers safe, particularly by increasing patrols at crosswalks and in areas where children may be on foot.

One of the key initiatives underway within our City is the development of the Milton Trail, a shared use trail that provides walkers, runners, bicyclists and equestrians the opportunity to travel throughout our City without riding in an automobile. This pathway is uniquely designed for the distinct types of urban and rural areas through which it travels, and is also safely and easily used by those with disabilities. We are excited about this initiative and what the Milton Trail will offer to residents and visitors alike.

The Milton Trail Plan is a five-year plan that was developed with the input of a citizen committee, in conjunction with City staff and representatives from Georgia Tech. Now that the overall plan has been completed, the City Council has voted to keep the committee intact for another year, thereby the plan to be implemented with citizen input, as was envisioned by the committee. The City is also researching grant opportunities that can help fund this project, and is inviting corporations, citizens, developers and charitable organizations to become partners in the development of this wonderful asset.

Following the guidelines of the five-year plan, development of the Milton Trail will begin in the Freemanville South area in year one. Subsequent years will see development in Bethany/Cogburn, followed by Freemanville North, Thompson and then Birmingham. The core network of the trail will connect schools and parks, and the trail will tie into “safe routes” for schools as well, providing complete sidewalks, trails, and walking paths for students and others.

The Milton Trail will be a significant feature within our City, meeting the recreational vision that is part of the City’s overall design, and even becoming Milton’s own “Silver Comet Trail.” We look forward to watching this beautiful Trail unfold and seeing the pleasure it brings for all of us as it invites us to get out and see our City!

- Mayor Joe Lockwood

Our Second Year As A City

Dear Milton Residents,

As we begin our second year as a city, we are committed to providing services to our citizens to enhance their safety both personally and as a community. A number of initiatives have been launched that will help us meet this commitment.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among young drivers ages 15-20. To help reduce teen accidents and make our young drivers more safe on the road, our public safety department has begun offering the P.R.I.D.E driving course for parents and teenagers, with the most recent course scheduled for October 16. This course addresses driver attitude, knowledge, and behavior, rather than technical hands-on driver training. You can get more information on the course form the City’s web site, at http://www.cityofmiltonga.us/, or by contacting our Public Safety department.

We also have developed a monthly forum on different topics such as crime statistics analysis, how speed detection work, and various other topics of interest, as a way of informing citizens on public safety issues. These forums will begin in November and will be held alternately at City Hall and Fire Station 43. You can also request the City’s Public safety personnel to provide a presentation with your neighborhood that includes tips on security at home.

Public safety initiatives planned for 2008 include additional fire safety education programs in schools and daycares. We currently are conducting these classes at Northwestern Middle School, where nearly 400 students have learned how to prevent fires and escape safely if necessary. We also will soon offer child safety seat checks that will be performed by our fire and police personnel, and CPR classes that will be offered at City Hall and Station 43.

On another note, I would like to personally thank all the citizens of Milton for making the MDA Boot Drive an overwhelming success. With your donations and the hard work of our Milton firefighters, the City raised over $39,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the largest amount by any fire department in the metro area. We should all be proud of the kindness and generosity that our citizens showed during this effort. The monies raised will make a real difference in the fight against Muscular Dystrophy.

As always, we welcome your suggestions for public safety and any other initiatives that you think would benefit our wonderful City, and we look forward to keeping the city safe for everyone!

- Mayor Joe Lockwood / joe.lockwood@cityofmiltonga.us

AJC Guest Editorial; Joe Lockwood; Mayor; City of Milton

The article, "The Milton Meltdown" (August 6, 2007) was hardly objective in its presentation of the City of Milton and would have been more fairly placed on the newspaper's editorial page.

Contrary to what the AJC asserts, the city council, staff members and I work together respectfully and are very proud of what we have accomplished. Just because we disagree on certain issues and butt heads on occasion doesn't mean we're dysfunctional; it means we are doing what we were elected to do - debate issues and consider all sides before acting, and we have done that in a civil manner.

Yes, I have been on the minority side of several votes and I'm sure that I will be again. However, I respect my colleagues and their opinions and support implementation of every properly enacted measure, whether I voted for it or not - and I can say without qualification that my fellow elected officials in Milton feel the same way.

I find it ironic that the AJC has published editorial opinions over the years assailing Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill for "marching in lockstep" when advancing certain legislation - yet when you have a local government body engaging in honest discourse and in anything but lockstep politics, apparently that's equally unacceptable.

With regard to the missed insurance premium tax deadline, we are working diligently - as a group - to solve this problem, and I am optimistic that we will receive the funds next year, as has been the plan from day one. This is not a shortfall in our current budget and will not affect services.

The AJC has conveniently ignored many accomplishments of the Milton government and failed to note that all of the initial goals set forth when official status as a city was accorded last December, have been met or exceeded.

We created a new city hall and staffed it with a team of skilled professionals. We adopted, enacted or improved upon most of the ordinances that keep our city running smoothly.

We have fully functioning public works, finance, community development and code enforcement departments and we have a new court system. Our public safety department includes new police and fire units staffed by officers and firemen that are doing a great job in keeping Milton safe and secure.

We are moving forward on several major intersection and road improvements that will relieve traffic congestion in the area and we are working to make our parks system better.

All of these accomplishments were achieved in a span of less than nine months. Sounds like anything but a "meltdown" to me.

- Mayor Joe Lockwood

Mayor Lockwood Responds to Freemanville High School Inquiry

Citizen Bill Ruffin's Question:

Mayor Lockwood:

Congratulations on your open communications. I hope over time more people will participate. Maybe you should run a few ads in other media to let people know your post exists.I know it's early in the game. But do you have a position on two schools and a stadium proposed for Freemanville?. A stadium with lights on Freemanville: sounds like something we need to fight --or at least greatly influence. The school board comment seemed dismissive and arrogant -- that we should have expected this.

Thanks, Bill Ruffin / Six Hills

Mayor Lockwood Responds:

Mr. Ruffin,

Thank you for your comments and questions. As for my position on the new schools and stadium on Freemanville Road, I certainly appreciate and understand any and all concerns from the many citizens that will be impacted. I have personally gone through that myself as I live within a mile of 3 schools.

If we had, or could, preserve what most of us moved here for, then most of our citizens wouldn't be here. Unfortunately, or fortunately? as beautiful homes, on 1+ acre lots have attracted people to this particular part of Milton, it has also placed a need for the children of these families to have good schools. I don't know what all of the criteria that the FCBOE uses for need and locations, but I am sure they must see a future need for additional schools.

Personally, I would not have picked this location, nor can I think of any other location in Milton that I would have chosen, but I guess that is why the school board has the power to keep their site selection from us and the public. If they did not have this legal right, then I guess we would have to bus all of our children 100's of miles away to school, away from all "back yards"!

I have researched and gotten all legal advice available to me, both from our city attorney, outside legal council, and the school board themselves, and can not find any way that we, as a city, can stop the schools unless there are physical restraints with the property. I am certainly open to any additional advice or information from you or other residents. This being said, the school board has said they will take all of our concerns seriously.

Moving forward, I am certainly committed to working with all concerned citizens and our city to make sure that the school board makes every effort to minimize the negative affect to our residents.

Sincerely,

Joe Lockwood
Mayor, City of Milton

Milton Citizen Bill Ruffin Has A Question For Mayor Lockwood:

Mayor Lockwood:

First, congratualtions on all you have accomplished in such a short time.I have a concern, though, about what is happening at Crabapple.I live in Six Hills, close to the scene of the devastation.In talking to people in the area, the general opinion is that in your first face off with developers, you lost badly -- actually, without a fight.The big problem is that nobody really knows what is going to go into the area they clear cut. The longer that information vacuum remains, the less confidence people have in your concept of managed growth.Right now it appears that the management is in the hands of those who could care less about the character of Milton.My suggestion: hold a public meeting where the developers must present their plans. Failing that, publish what is planned for the site.

Thank you - Bill Ruffin


Milton Mayor Lockwood Responds:

Mr. Ruffin has a great comment and certainly genuine concerns. I agree with him on the frustration as I live very close to the area. I was quoted in the newspaper as saying this corner "looked like a bomb went off"! Most of all I thank him for expressing them to me.I am sorry that Mr. Ruffin states that the opinion is "we have lost badly" in a face off with developers. The fact is that this development, and everything being done right now, was decided upon last year, long before we had the city of Milton or any of the Mayor or council was elected. Fulton County approved this development and had several citizens involved. Once the city of Milton officially took over, our only power was to monitor what the developers are doing based on what they had been previously approved to build. We immediatly sent out our inspectors and arborist to make sure they were in compliance.I have hopes that when completed and landscaped this area will look much better to those of us that live nearby.Our citizens need to be aware of the fact that the city of Milton has not even seen our first zoning case, and that any development going on now was approved prior by the county. We have not "lost" any fights!I want to assure our citizens that I am fully commited to living up to my campaign promises, and feel they are in line with what the majority of our citizens want for Milton, but I certainly want to hear from everyone.

Again thank you Mr. Ruffin for your comments. - Joe Lockwood