City Of Milton: 2040 Comprehensive Plan Draft To Be Presented To City Council

Press release from the City of Milton:

06/18/2021 2:03 PM

City Council on Monday night will learn about a thorough draft of Milton’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan, a critical document that will help shape the city for years to come.

This is just one item in the wide-ranging June 21 meeting, which will also include a potential moratorium on permit applications for farm wineries and forging a partnership to bring a goat yoga program to Milton.

In addition, the Council will honor two rising Milton High School seniors for their initiative and enthusiasm in championing bringing glass recycling to the city.

People can attend the session -- which begins at 6 p.m. -- in person in City Hall's Council Chambers. Or they can watch and participate virtually by Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/92486093555. Another viewing option is via the City's website at  https://www.cityofmiltonga.us/government/city-clerk/watch-a-meeting.

As is customary, Monday’s “Regular Meeting” is divided into distinct parts – each with their own parameters. They are:

• The CONSENT AGENDA, for typically non-contentious items that do not require significant financial expenditures that are considered in one collective, usually unanimous (and affirmative) up-and-down vote.
• REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS, a place for individuals and groups to be recognized. This is also part of the meeting where City staff (or others) makes presentations on a particular subject. No votes are taken on these items.
• PUBLIC HEARING, which is reserved for certain items that by law require a formal, defined opportunity for citizens to express their viewpoints. There is no vote, per se, directly out of a “Public Hearing.”
• NEW BUSINESS, for items appearing on the agenda for the first time (an exception being something under “Public Hearing,” as is the case Monday). After presentations and discussions, Council members do vote on these matters.

Below you’ll find summaries of each item on Monday’s meeting agenda.

• Approval of the April 12, 2021, City Council Meeting Minutes. 

The Council will vote whether or not approve the “minutes” – of official written record – for its April 12 meeting. At this meeting, the Council signaled support for the City government's handling of its finances, its revamped transparency portal, as well as plans to turf the two large fields at the Cox Road athletic facility. You can read a full recap here: https://www.cityofmiltonga.us/Home/Components/News/News/805/1351.

• Approval of the April 26, 2021, City Council Meeting Minutes. 

This item relates to the official written record (the “minutes”) for the City Council’s April 26 regular meeting. The Council voted at this meeting to to tighten regulations related to door-to-door solicitations, specifically requiring those with non-profits (with some exceptions) to be vetted and approved first by the Georgia Secretary of State's office. And among other developments, Finance Director Bernadette Harvil explained that the City has significantly more revenues relative to what had been expected for this point in Fiscal Year 2021 as well as much less in expenditures. You can read a recap of that meeting here: https://www.cityofmiltonga.us/Home/Components/News/News/829/1351.

• Approval of the Financial Statements and Investment Report for Period 7 – April 2021. 

The Council will vote whether or not to approve the City government’s financial statements and investment report for this past April.

• Approval of an Athletic Association Facility Use Agreement Between the City of Milton and North Atlanta Football League. 

Young Milton residents have played in the North Atlanta Football League – also known as NAFL – for years, with many games and practices taking place in Bell Memorial Park. This “facility use agreement,” if approved, would continue this relationship with NAFL’s use of Milton fields at Bell Memorial Park and possibly the City’s Cox Road athletic facility.

• Approval of an Athletic Association Facility Use Agreement Between the City of Milton and Love GOGA, LLC to Provide Goat Yoga and Mindfulness Programming for Youth and Adults.

Love GOGA is a local company that combines yoga with goats – blending physical and mental wellness with nature and wildlife. After a successful one-time “goat yoga” event earlier this year at Broadwell Pavilion, Love GOGA and the City of Milton could extend this partnership with this agreement. If approved, Love GOGA would offer regular sessions at Broadwell Pavilion through Milton’s Parks and Recreation Department.

• Approval of a Document of Understanding Between the City of Milton and Happy Tails Pet Therapy, Inc. to Provide Animal Assisted Therapy to Camp Joyful Soles.

Happy Tails Pet Therapy for years has been a popular weekly visitor to Camp Joyful Soles, the City of Milton’s day-camp for special needs individuals between 13-22 years old. The non-profit organization’s volunteer teams “provide physical, social, emotional, and cognitive therapy to people of all ages” by bringing therapy dogs to locations such as schools, hospitals and camps. This document of understanding, if approved, would continue this relationship between Camp Joyful Soles and Happy Tails.

• Approval of Subdivision Plats and Revisions.  

These three items relate to proposed revisions of plats around Milton. If approved, they would:

• Proclamation Recognizing Ella Katekovich and Jeslyn Guo for their Efforts to Create a Local Opportunity for Glass Recycling in the City of Milton.

Rising Milton High seniors Ella Katekovich and Jeslyn Guo both feel passionate about recycling and making a difference in their community. When they realized that haulers in Milton didn’t accept glass for recycling curbside, they took action by reaching out to companies in hopes of finding a solution. In so doing, Ella and Jeslyn connected the City of Milton with Strategic Materials. Because of that, residents can now drop off their glass for recycling at Bell Memorial Park. This proclamation honors these students enthusiasm, initiative and efforts to make Milton, and our world, better.

• North Fulton CID Presentation of Proposed Blueprint III

The North Fulton Community Improvement District is dedicated toward advancing infrastructure projects to enhance the livability, walkability and drivability between Mansell Road (in Roswell/Alpharetta) to McGinnis Ferry Road (in Milton/Alpharetta). Formed in 2003 by a group of local business leaders, the North Fulton CID partners with Milton, Alpharetta and Roswell to design and implement projects that serve those communities. (You can learn more here: https://www.northfultoncid.com/.) At Monday’s meeting, representatives from the North Fulton CID will present the Council a proposed blueprint for upcoming developments in the region.

• Presentation of Milton’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan Draft.

City officials, civic leaders and citizens have been working since last summer on Milton’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan. This document – which builds off one adopted in 2016 – lays out policies, priorities and proposed projects for City staff to pursue over the next five years. The idea was to envision what Milton can and should look like 5, 10, 20 years into the future, then chart a path guiding policymakers to turn that dream into a reality.

All the subsequent meetings, critical background work by members of the project team, and extensive public engagement efforts culminated in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan draft document that will be presented at Monday’s Council meeting. This draft plan features visual and narrative descriptions of Milton’s eight character areas as well a long list of “short-term work programs” – or actionable initiatives for City staff to undertake in the coming years – that grew out of this process.

You can learn more by going to www.cityofmiltonga.us/ComprehensivePlan. That webpage lays out the purpose of the Comprehensive Plan, explains the types of questions it can help answer, and links to relevant videos and presentations, among other useful information. The proposed timeline calls for a 30-day “public comment” period followed by the State-required review by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) review starting in August. In October of 2020, the Plan can be formally adopted by the Milton City Council.  

• Public Hearing Regarding a Resolution to Enact and/or Extend a Moratorium – for 120 Days - on the Acceptance of Alcohol Applications, Building Permit Applications, and Land Disturbance Permit Applications for Farm Wineries in the City of Milton.

At its May 24 meeting, the City Council voted to approve a 35-day prohibition on the City accepting alcohol, building permit and/or land disturbance permit applications related to farm wineries in Milton. The moratorium's purpose is to maintain the status quo while allowing the City sufficient time to draft amendments to its land-use code regarding farm wineries. Extending that moratorium further requires an official "public hearing" for citizens to weigh in on a longer – in this case, 120 days – moratorium.

• Consideration of a Resolution to Enact and/or Extend a Moratorium – for 120 Days - on the Acceptance of Alcohol Applications, Building Permit Applications, and Land Disturbance Permit Applications for Farm Wineries in the City of Milton.

This resolution relates to the item summarized directly above. After listening to comments in the “Public Hearing,” the Council will vote whether or not to extend this moratorium. If approved, the City would suspend accepting any alcohol, business permit or land disturbance permit applications from farm wineries in Milton.

• Consideration of an Intergovernmental Agreement for Use and Distribution of Proceeds Generated by the 2021 Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Referendum.

Fulton County is working with local municipalities including Milton on the framework for what is being called "TSPLOST II” – a potential way to raise money for local transportation projects in the same vein as the TSPLOST voters approved in November 2016. Like the previous iteration, TSPLOST II would go before voters (this coming November); if approved, money from a 0.75% (3/4 of a cent) sales tax would fund transportation projects specifically recommended for each Fulton County city. This proposed agreement, if approved, spells out the collection, distribution and use of funds with the lists of project that could be funded as part of TSPLOST II. To learn more, go to www.cityofmiltonga.us/TSPLOST.

This press release was produced by the City of Milton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.