Plenty of Positives Going On With Your City

by Mayor Joe Lockwood

Council member “raises.” Annexation “wars.” Franchise “taxes.” Tree clearing. If all you know about the City of Milton is what you read or hear through the media, you may well ask yourself, is ANYTHING positive happening with our new government?

The answer is a resounding YES. The progress made in the first two months of our official existence has been phenomenal, and there is still so much more yet to come. I want to discuss that in a moment. First, though, I want to quickly address and hopefully dispel some of the misinformation or misperceptions surrounding the topics I just mentioned.

Health benefits/expense reimbursement for Council members – the voter-approved City Charter specifically offers the option of providing health insurance and other employee benefits to the Mayor and Council members. Likewise, the charter allows for reimbursement of expenses related to our official duties, because we would never want personal financial constraints to keep anyone from holding public office or otherwise serving the city. Prior to approving our inaugural budget, a Council member merely raised for discussion purposes the questions of health benefits and expense reimbursement levels. The topics were discussed in an open meeting and unanimously rejected. End of story.

Annexation – In considering any annexations, the desire to comply with the wishes of affected residents is paramount. That has been our approach to all the areas currently under discussion between Milton and Roswell. We only want to annex those properties where the vast majority of residents have stated a preference to join our city. Hopefully these issues will be resolved in the very near future.

Franchise fees – Franchise fees were identified as a revenue source from the very beginning of the incorporation discussion. Milton, like all of Georgia’s 528 cities, chose to enact these fees. They do benefit all citizens by helping maintain infrastructure such as roads and fund a higher level of service such as our public safety department. I realize that perhaps few people took note of all the details relating to incorporation, and they are reacting now that the fees are a reality. But they are not some “hidden tax” we came up with to generate extra revenue at our citizens’ expense

Clearing of trees – As we transition to cityhood, Milton inherited development projects approved by Fulton County. Your Community Development department has been reviewing the work taking place, including tree removal, to ensure it is in compliance with the county’s standards. Going forward, we are enacting our own guidelines, and you can be sure every effort is being made to protect individual trees and tree canopies throughout the city. Violators will be penalized.

Now, on to more positive matters.

City Hall opens Feb. 5 – City Hall will open for business in the Deerfield Professional Centre, 13000 Deerfield Parkway. Business hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This will greatly improve accessibility to your government, and we invite you to stop by any time.

Outstanding staff ready to serve – Occupying those City Hall offices from the city manager on down are some of the top professionals in their respective fields. They are all attracted by the unique opportunity to participate in the creation of a new city and united in their commitment to public service and particularly the citizens of Milton. As you get to know them, I am sure you will see exactly what I mean.

Public safety departments taking shape – Ordering police cars, fire trucks and other equipment; designing badges, patches and uniforms; and many other steps are well under way as Milton is on target to deploy its own police and fire services by late spring. Hiring activities, including recent job fairs, have brought a deluge of applications from emergency services personnel from throughout the area and beyond who are clamoring to be part of the new city operations.

Greater local control already a reality – From planning and zoning ordinances and the development of a comprehensive land-use plan to a more stringent sign ordinance and proposals for other quality of life issues such as a noise ordinance, your City Council is taking a hard look at implementing measures that address your needs and desires.

I could go on and on about all the great things taking place but I will stop here for now. However, staff is working to expand direct communication with our residents. If you would like to receive news and other information electronically, please send an email to news@cityofmiltonga.us and ask to be added to our distribution list. And of course, the city’s Web site at www.cityofmiltonga.us is chock full of information that’s updated regularly.

Former Vice President Spiro Agnew once referred to certain people who he dubbed "nattering nabobs of negativism." Unfortunately, those types will always be out there – don’t you be one of them. We won’t always agree on everything, but we can’t lose sight of the forest for the trees. This is indeed a great time for the City of Milton. Thank you for your interest and support.