City Of Milton: Glass Recycling Collection Bin Coming To Bell Park After Council Vote

Press release from the City of Milton:

05/24/2021 9:31 PM

City Council moved Monday to bring glass recycling back to Milton, paving the way for large collection containers in Bell Memorial Park – at no cost to the City.

Since 2017, after single-stream services no longer took glass, the City dropped the requirement that certified waste haulers accept glass for recycling. Residents could drop off their glass at the Roswell Recycling Center until March 2020, when the Roswell prohibited people from outside their city (including Milton) from doing so. That left the nearest option in Sandy Springs at the Keep North Fulton Beautiful facility.

Meanwhile, there has been significant public interest -- as evidenced repeatedly during the 2040 Comprehensive Plan process -- in offering Milton residents more options to recycle more readily. That could lead to overhauls in the current system and significant investments in the coming years. 

But with Monday's unanimous vote, people won't have to wait nearly that long for an incremental change that many have been clamoring for. In fact, they could be able to bring their glass to Bell by the first half of June.

"I'm hearing from people [who] very much ... want to recycle," City Conservation Manager Teresa Stickels said Monday. "But it really has to be more convenient. It's something we want to help our residents do."

This milestone is thanks to Ella Katekovich and Jeslyn Guo, two members of Milton High School’s Environmental Awareness group known as the Clean and Green Club. They approached Council member Peyton Jamison about setting up a container in Milton, then further inquired with a company that could collect and recycle it.

Their efforts and the general idea of offering glass recycling spurred great enthusiasm, as well as questions. The students originally wanted to place bins on the Milton High campus but were unable to get a sign-off from Fulton County Schools. So they turned to the City, which explored various options before settling on the back corner gravel lot on the far southeast of Bell Memorial Park.

Because recycled glass is a hot commodity (with such glass being imported into Georgia because of limited supply), Strategic Materials offered to place a large container there free of charge to the City.  

Stickels explained that Milton will start with one bin, but that Strategic Materials has offered a second at a different, still undetermined location.

"This is a pilot," she said. "We want people to behave well."

Council members lauded the initiative, with Rick Mohrig calling it a "great move."

"It's a great service not only for our residents, but also for our environment," Mayor Joe Lockwood said.

Also on Monday, the Council two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the City of Alpharetta.

The first discussed related to an idea first proposed by Alpharetta's City Administrator to his counterpart in Milton, City Manager Steve Krokoff. At the time, Alpharetta's court clerk was retiring and that City was exploring where to hold court sessions -- at the same time that Milton opened its brand new courtroom in the Public Safety Complex off Highway 9.

Milton signed onto a short-term agreement in which its Court Clerk, Brooke Lappin, would also assume those duties for Alpharetta while conducting a feasibility study to explore Alpharetta's court apparatus relocating to the Milton Municipal Court. Newly promoted Deputy City Manager Stacey Inglis explained the results of that study, including: 

• The need to add two more workstations with furnishings to accommodate all four of Alpharetta's deputy court clerks
• A realization that IT needs could be easily managed
• Working through cashiering requirements, helped by the fact both cities have the same bank and eCourt software system
• An understanding that Milton wouldn't need to add staff of its own
• Taking into account cost considerations -- namely, how much Alpharetta should pay for the space

Neither City has sessions every day, meaning sharing the courtroom itself didn't appear to be a major issue. Still, since Alpharetta would be sharing about 5,420 square feet of work space, it was determined that a 60/40 split (with Alpharetta paying the higher) would be fair. At about $135,000 annually, that would mean Alpharetta would pay over $81,000 of that.

Accounting for that and other factors, Inglis estimated adopting this new approach would gain the City about $140,000 each year. Alpharetta's City Council approved this same MOU last Monday.

Milton's City Council followed suit, with Council member Carol Cookerly applauding a job "well done."

Inglis was followed by Milton Parks and Recreation Manager Tom McKlveen, who outlined another proposed MOU with Alpharetta that would allow residents of both cities to pay the same non-resident rates for:

• Football -- under the North Atlanta Football League (NAFL) -- which would be technically overseen by Milton, which would provide two of the three used fields. (Currently, Alpharetta provides two fields and Milton one.) McKlveen noted about 2/3 of NAFL participants are Milton residents.
• Softball, which would be overseen by and run out of Alpharetta. Milton doesn't have its own softball program, though Council member Laura Bentley asked if girls softball "is dependent on both cities making up those teams." McKlveen concurred, saying the end of the previous Milton-Alpharetta MOU on recreation programs "made it hard on Alpharetta [softball] to keep it going."
• Two complimentary special needs camps would be available at non-resident rates for residents of both cities. Alpharetta offers Camp Happy Hearts for children age 6-12, while Milton has Camp Joyful Soles for those 13-22. 

McKlveen explained that, while both cities would lose some money on the difference in non-resident fees, this agreement wouldn't involve any significant exchange of funds as happened in the years after Milton's incorporation.

"We were looking for an agreement that was beneficial for both cities," he said.

After some questions, Milton's Council strongly approved the resolution and the effort to work together with Alpharetta for both cities' citizens. Alpharetta must next approve the MOU for it to take effect.

Prior to these votes, the Council approved a host of Consent Agenda items including:

• An engineers' analysis of the Clarity Road bridge over the Little River, which has been closed since a vehicle struck its railing in March
• A five-year agreement with the Fulton County Board of Education to operate Friendship Park on the Crabapple Crossing Elementary campus
• A contract to allow the Milton Fire-Rescue Department to get a "quint," or combination fire engine and ladder truck

While there were no "Reports and Presentations," City Clerk Tammy Lowit then read through six First Presentation items – many of them lengthy. Unlike the Consent Agenda, there’s no conclusive vote on First Presentation items. That cannot happen until a later date, typically the next “Regular Meeting” of the Council.

Stickels did outline "tweaks" to the City's Solid Waste Ordinance (Chapter 46) aimed at remedying years-long issues administering it. The Council approved her suggestions, including:

• Having every waste hauler's contract start July 1 and end June 30 every year
• Allow for a mutual termination of a contract, including giving customers at least 30 days notice before their company ceases service
• Steps to improve the vetting of new solid waste hauler applicants

One or two of the City's 25 waste haulers tend to be chronically late, Stickels explained. Not paying their administrative fees could lead to interest and financial penalties. Not complying with the other requirements by July 1, on the other hand, would "start the clock" on legal efforts to potentially take away the privilege of operating in Milton.

Also on Monday, Acting Public Works Director Sara Leaders briefed the Council on City staff's proposal for the project list for TSPLOST II -- a second round of 3/4 of a cent sales tax that, if Fulton County voters approve in November, would fund transportation improvements. Projections call for the City of Milton to get between $30.7 million to $36.1 million or more of the revenue that the County will bring in through the tax -- again, if the referendum prevails.

Milton's list isn't as specific as in the past to allow for such details to be generated by the Local Road Safety Plan being put together this year, as well as the Comprehensive Transportation Plan to be done in 2022. The Council approved of this approach.

The last item of business Monday related to farm wineries. City Attorney Ken Jarrard referenced ongoing discussions over "the by-right availability to operate a farm winery in the city of Milton." He noted that this may involve "the somewhat laborious task of modifying the (City) Code."

On Monday, the Council voted to approve a 35-day moratorium on any farm winery seeking an alcohol, building permit and land disturbance applications. This is "intended to maintain the status quo." After that period, the City could hold a public hearing that could lead to a 120-day extension of the moratorium, Jarrard noted.

The City Council will next convene on Monday, June 7 -- when farm wineries are expected to be on the agenda on other grounds.

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