City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I would like to welcome lead pastor Billy Lowe with City Church who will lead us in tonight's invocation.

All right, thank you. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this beautiful day. Thanks for this council and for this city. Lord, as they gather tonight to work through all the different things, I pray for wisdom and discernment as they lead our city. Lord, we always pray for our first responders, that you would keep them safe. And as everybody goes back to school this year, you would do the same for them as well. We love you and pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.

I would like to call the regular meeting of the Milton City Council for Monday, August 3rd, 2026 to order. We encourage all attendees to review tonight's agenda. Citizens wishing to speak during public comment must complete a comment card and submit it to the city clerk prior to the agenda item being called. Public comment provides an opportunity for citizens to address the mayor and city council and offer input on agenda items. It is not a forum for dialogue or back and forth discussion. While Milton rules permit submission of comment cards up until the clerk calls the agenda item, no additional comment cards will be accepted once the item has been called. Will the city clerk please call the roll and make general announcements?

Good evening, Mayor and Council. I'll be happy to call roll for the August 3rd, 2026 regular meeting. Before we begin, I would like to remind those in attendance to please silence all cell phones at this time. As the Mayor mentioned, if you would like to make a public comment, you are required to complete a public comment card prior to that agenda item being called. All speakers will identify themselves with name, address, and or organization before beginning your comment. If you are representing an organization, a notarized affidavit is required stating you have the authority to speak on behalf of that organization. Please review the agenda, and if you have not brought your comment cards to me, please do so now. Demonstration of any sort within the chamber is prohibited. Please refrain from any applause, cheering, booing, outbursts, or dialogue with any person speaking. Anyone in violation may be asked to leave. Mayor and Council, as I call roll this evening, please confirm your attendance. Mayor Peyton Jameson.

Here.

Council Member Brian Dolan.

Here.

Council Member Doug Haney.

Here.

Council Member Juliet Johnson. Here. Council Member Carol Cookerley. Here. Council Member Jan Jacobus.

Present.

And Council Member Phil Cramer. Here. Mayor, you do have a quorum. Would everyone please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Okay, next is approval of the meeting agenda. I would like to add an executive session to discuss personnel, land acquisition, and litigation. Also, agenda item number 26-226 was inadvertently categorized as reports and presentation, and we will need to move that to new business. This item will be moved to immediately follow the consent agenda. Do I have a motion on the meeting agenda?

Mr. May, I make a motion. to approve the meeting agenda as amended with the inclusion of executive session. Second.

Okay, I have a motion from Council Member Cookerley and a second from Council Member Johnson to approve the amended meeting agenda. All in favor, please place your votes. Okay, that passes unanimously. Next is general public comment. Do we have any general public comment?

We do, Mayor. We have two tonight.

Okay, general public comment provides citizens an opportunity to share information with the mayor and the city council and to offer input and opinions on any matter not scheduled for a separate public hearing during tonight's meeting. Please be advised that this is not a time for dialogue or conversation with the mayor or members of the city council. When your name is called, please come forward and speak into the microphone stating your name and address for the record. If you will please call the first public comment.

Mayor, invite first Ms. Sarah Moen to the podium, please.

Sarah Moen, 130 Providence Plantation Drive. Good evening, Mayor and Council. My comments tonight are focused directly on the future of the Arnold Mill character area with a concentrated focus on the Arnold Mill Cox Road activity node. As residents of Milton, we pride ourselves on living in a city that actively protects its heritage. The decisions made regarding this specific corridor will dictate whether we maintain that heritage or allow it to be chipped away. Per city staff's own recommendations regarding this area, The key development and implementation considerations are crystal clear. They mandate that we first preserve Arnold Mill as a rural corridor, maintaining open space, low density development, and scenic view sheds along the roadway. Second, direct new growth into two defined activity nodes, strictly limiting development across the remainder of the corridor. Third, ensure all development reflects Milton's rural character through scale, setbacks, buffering, and architectural style. Fourth, coordinate development with transportation improvements, including road widening, new connections, and intersection upgrades to explicitly address congestion. And fifth, reinforce development patterns that preserve open space and natural features, including clustering and expanded buffers where appropriate. Within the Arnold Mill corridor, the small area plan identifies only two primary locations where future development may even be considered appropriate, the intersection of Arnold Mill Road and Cox Road and the Northern Gateway area near Chadwick Farm Boulevard. At the Cox Road location, the plan specifically explores a rural hamlet concept. This concept was designed to accommodate very limited growth while aggressively maintaining the corridor's rural character. We recently saw this body honor that commitment During the May 5th, 2025 regular city council meeting, this council voted by a majority to approve the Arnold Mill small area plan. That approved plan included two options for the Arnold Mill and Cox Road activity node. Crucially, both of those options were built around a maximum of 31 one acre home sites dedicated green space, wide buffers to preserve our rural view shed, and limited, if any, commercial use. That is the blueprint we all agreed upon. That is the expectation of the community. However, a situation is developing that directly threatens this vision. As some of you are likely aware, Restoration Church, currently located in Alpharetta, on Rucker Road, has purchased nearly 30 acres of property on New Providence and Arnold Mill Road. Furthermore, they are currently in the process of buying an additional 15 acres. By their own admission, this expansion is an attempt to, quote, give them less reason to ask for any variances or special considerations from Milton, end quote. We must look at the math in the map. This purchased property combined with adjacent city-owned properties makes up the absolute bulk of the Arnold Mill and Cox Road activity node. Let us be completely unambiguous about our zoning laws. Churches are not permitted by right on AG1 land. For incredibly good reasons, the city explicitly recognizes that the type of high density development, intense daily use, and massive infrastructure strain that accompanies large church projects makes them uses that are not intended on AG1 properties. When a large campus is built, it brings significant environmental and logistical challenges. We are talking about massive impervious surfaces, extensive parking lots, and substantial traffic surges that our current rural roads are simply not designed to handle safely. This type of intensive regional development is diametrically opposed to the low density, quiet, view shed protected vision that the residents have fought for and that this council codified just last year. Additionally, in an area where economic development is intended, a church of this magnitude with its 501c3 tax exempt status would wipe out 45 plus acres of property tax revenue. If we allow a massive institutional footprint to dominate the very heart of the Cox Road activity node, the rural Hamlet concept is dead. The 31 one-acre home sites we agreed on will be replaced by a sprawling campus. The wide buffers meant to preserve our scenic views will be heavily compromised. I urge this council to stand firmly behind the Arnold Mills small plan you approved. Do not allow a workaround that bypasses the spirit of our zoning laws. Please protect our AG1 properties, preserve the integrity of our rural corridors, and reject uses that are fundamentally not intended for this land. Thank you.

Thank you.

Mayor, I invite Mr. Bill Lusk to the podium, please.

Good evening, Mayor, City Council, staff. My name is Bill Lusk. I reside at 1355 Summit Road, Fields Crossroads, Georgia. Although I'm a member of the Milton Historical Society, tonight I'm speaking here as an individual. And I'm here to speak in general comment on one of your consent agenda items. It's 26222, and it involves a contract with prime engineering to perform certain stabilization work at the McConnell House. I'm happy to see this. But as you know, this is only part of the plan for stabilization as identified by Palmer Engineering two years ago. But Kitchen, this part of the project, is most critical. It's most in danger of collapsing and structural failure. So I commend you for putting it creating a contract or contracting this work out. But going forward, I'd like to see more progress going after this project's completed. And McConnell House is a valuable asset to the City of Milton, just like City Hall, the Bird House, and all the other facilities around the city. and all of these facilities require funding for maintenance and repairs so does mcconnell house so i'd like to put it i'd like to see it put on the same level as the other facilities that the city has and continue to fund this line item to go forward in the future and continue to stabilize this and as The adaptive reuse part of this whole thing comes to fruition. I think we're going to see the true value of why we funded these repair contracts, stabilization contracts. So I encourage you to keep it going, and let's make something great out of McConnell House. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. Mayor, that concludes general public comment.

Okay, I will close public comment, and we will now move on to the consent agenda. Well, City Clerk, please say on the items.

Thank you, Mayor. That first item is going to be approval of the July 20th, 2026 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes, Agenda Item Number 26215. Our next item is approval of the Financial Statements and Investment Report for the period ending May 31st, 2026, Agenda Item Number 26216. Next, we have approval of a memorandum of understanding between the City of Milton and Fulton County Schools for the administration of the high school internship program. Agenda item number 26217. Our next item is approval of a license agreement between the City of Milton and CoStar Realty Information, Inc. for commercial real estate information services. Agenda item number 26218. Our next item is approval of a professional services agreement with AB Fortner Incorporated doing business as Canvas Planning Group for the Destination Deerfield Urban Design Master Plan for South Deerfield Parkway. It's agenda item number 26, 219. Next is approval of a construction services agreement between the City of Milton and DCBC LLC for Gunston Hall Circle Roadway Rehabilitation Project. Agenda item number 26, 220. Next, approval of a City Council declination of Corey Williams' July 20, 2026 NTL item related to May 25, 2026 collision with low-hanging utility lines. Agenda item number 26-221. Next, approval of a construction services agreement with Prime Contractors, Inc. for the structural repairs of the historic McConnell-Chadwick House located at 13695 Arnold Mill Road. Agenda item number 26-221. Next, we have an approval to accept the 2026 Callahan Incentive Grant from the Georgia Trust for Structural Repairs to the Historic McConnell Chadwick House. Agenda item number 26223. Our next item, Approval of Professional Services Agreement between the City of Milton and Kimley Horn and Associates, Inc. for Bridge Repair Analysis of the Thompson Road Bridge, 121-5009-0. It's Agenda Item Number 2600. 224. Our final consent agenda item is approval of subdivision plats and revisions. The development is 13995 Hopewell Road. It's land lot 837 and 838. It's District 2, Section 2. This is a minor plat to reconfigure two existing parcels totaling 5.54 acres into three parcels consisting of 1.56, 1.89, and 2.09 acres. Again, the total is 5.54 acres and a density of 0.54 lots per acre. It's agenda item number 26, 225.

Mayor Jamieson?

Thank you. Council, I would like to have a motion to approve the consent agenda.

Mr. Mayor, I'll make a motion to approve the consent agenda as read. Second.

Okay, I have a motion from Council Member Cranmer and a second from Council Member Haney to approve the consent agenda. Please place your votes. Okay, that's unanimous. So we will now move on to the moved new business item. Will the city clerk please say on the item?

Mayor, that item is consideration of an appointment to the Milton Equestrian Committee for District 3, Post 2. It's agenda item number 26226. Mayor Jameson?

Yes, I will send this over to Council Member Cranmer.

Great, thank you. Mayor, fellow council members, it is my pleasure to nominate Kathy Gilker to serve on the Milton Equestrian Committee. Kathy, thank you for coming out tonight and to your family for being here to mark the occasion. Thank you. Kathy brings more than 50 years of equestrian experience and a lifelong passion for horses. She has been a horse owner since the age of nine, and has trained, bred, raised, and shown a wide variety of horses, including quarter horses, saddlebreds, Arabians, half Arabians, and Welsh ponies. I didn't know there was that many horses, Kathy. Largely self-taught, she developed her skills through determination, study, and hands-on experience, ultimately becoming an accomplished horsewoman across numerous disciplines, including Western pleasure, hunter pleasure, dressage, jumping, trail, showmanship, and combined training. Since moving to Georgia nearly 40 years ago, Kathy has remained actively involved in the equestrian community, competing at local and regional shows, while breeding and raising horses known for their athleticism, temperament, and versatility. She has also shared her knowledge with the next generation, helping her daughters develop successful equestrian careers on horses that she personally bred, raised, and trained. Beyond her impressive accomplishments, Kathy is deeply committed to responsible horse ownership, preserving our equestrian heritage, and supporting the equestrian community that makes Milton so unique. She continues to actively ride, compete, and care for her horses today. Kathy's lifetime of experience, practical knowledge, and unwavering dedication to the equestrian community make her an exceptional candidate for the Milton Equestrian Committee. I am pleased to nominate her and respectfully ask for your support, council.

Thank you. Any council discussion? No. Any public comment?

There are none, sir.

Okay. With that, I will open it for motion.

Could I have the last name again, please?

Gilker.

What?

Gilker.

Oh, good. Thank you. Mr. Mayor, I respectfully request that we unanimously approve Kathy Gilker as your candidate, as your person for the Equestrian Committee. Second. Second.

Okay, I have a motion from Council Member Cookerley and a second from Council Member Johnson to approve agenda item number 26-226 with Kathy Gilker as the Equestrian Committee appointee for District 3, Post 2. Please place your votes. Okay, that is unanimous. Congratulations. If you will come up, I'll swear you in and then we'll get a picture with the council.

It's a landslide. You have to find him.

He disappears and you have to find him.

I can solve it with a square.

that will faithfully perform the duties of, built an equestrian committee of this city, that will support and defend the charter thereof, bellows the Constitution, calls on the state of Georgia, and the states of America. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh. Yeah. Can you? Ready?

You want to get a picture?

You can come up if you want. They're standing here.

Come on up.

Okay, we will now move on to reports and presentations. Will the city clerk please say on the first item?

Mayor, that next item for reports and presentations, the comprehensive summer internship final projects presentation. It's agenda item number 26227, our community outreach manager, Ms. Emily Salerno.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. It seems that I always get the privilege of bringing the fun presentations, and tonight is no exception. Each summer, we welcome two college-aged interns who have the opportunity to work comprehensively with virtually every department within the city. Rather than spending the summer in just one area, they gained firsthand experience with local government while contributing to meaningful projects along the way. This year's interns have been an exceptional pair. They have embraced every opportunity, asked thoughtful questions, and jumped into projects with enthusiasm and professionalism. They've become a valued part of our team over the past couple of months, and it's been a privilege to watch their confidence and abilities grow. As they wrap up their time with the city, I'm excited for you to see just a small glimpse of everything they've accomplished this summer. I hope you'll join me in congratulating them on an outstanding internship and give them a warm Milton welcome as they share their experiences. Please join me in welcoming Jada Braithwaite and Drew Ghent.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. It's been a privilege to serve as your 2026 comprehensive summer interns, and we are so excited to share with you all that we've accomplished and experienced over our time here.

Before we get started, we would like to take a brief moment to introduce ourselves. My name is Jada Braithwaite. I am from Milton, and I'm going to be a senior at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega. I'm a political science major, as well as minoring in journalism. And outside of academics, I'm heavily involved in our Greek life system, as I'm currently serving as the vice president of recruitment for our Panhellenic Council. And I've also served as a staff writer on UNG's student newspaper, The Vanguard.

My name is Drew Ghent, and I was also born and raised in Milton. I'm going into my third and final year at the University of Georgia, where I'm on the pre-law track studying communications and philosophy. Outside of my academic endeavors, I'm also a varsity crew rower for the UGA crew team and have been involved as a human rights staff writer on the undergraduate law review. Now, working alongside Jada has been an absolute blast this summer, and we found that our skill sets really complemented each other. But I like to think that's probably because this wasn't actually our first time working together. You see, back in 2019, Jada and I performed together in the Hopewell Middle School production of The Lion King Jr. So working together here again so many years later was truly just a full circle of life moment for us.

Throughout the course of this internship, we have worked on a variety of projects across multiple departments. Through these projects, we have been able to connect with the community and gain more insight as to what it truly means to work for a local system of government.

To get an idea of what this internship looks like, I want to take a look at some of the numbers. The two of us interns worked for nine weeks on seven major projects and several other smaller projects along the way. Across all of these projects, we had the opportunity to engage with over 50 local businesses and gain invaluable work experience. We'd like to share with you what some of those projects looked like.

The first project that we had the opportunity to work on this summer was Red, White, and You, which was by far our most anticipated project. In terms of pre-planning, we worked diligently to create layouts, safety precautions, a cohesive run of show, created digital graphics and promotional signage, and selected vendors to participate in the event. In addition, we served as the main points of contact for our event stakeholders and worked with community outreach manager, Emily Salerno, to oversee the logistics of this event. This project also provided the opportunity to support and promote local Milton businesses. Winners of our patriotic themed costume contest received prize baskets featuring gift certificates, merchandise, and other donated items from businesses across the community.

Under Emily's guidance, Red White and You gave us valuable insight into the complex nuances of event planning and all that goes into putting on an event of this scale. We handled everything from finding the perfect slate of vendors on our first day in the office to marking their spots off on Broadwell Road the morning of July 3rd. Along the way, I learned just what it takes to provide our residents with special experiences like this. It was also rewarding to get to see a long-term project like this all the way through and really witness the impact that our role, even just as interns could have, on both the families we invited to celebrate with us and the local businesses that we engaged with. Another long-term project we had the opportunity to undertake was developing the framework for a Parks and Recreation Department operations manual. I'll be honest, this project came with a bit of a learning curve. Jada and I had no idea what the commission for the accreditation of Parks and Recreation agencies was or what standard operating procedures were. So when Parks and Recreation Director Tom asked us to compile SOPs for CAPRA by EOD, I asked if I could buy a vowel. Nevertheless, after thorough research into CAPRA's accreditation requirements, examination of other jurisdictions' manuals, and meetings across countless departments here at City Hall, we've not only now built a comprehensive table of contents for this manual that encompasses all of the department's core functions, but we've compiled and created many of its critical pieces.

The parks and recreation operations manual will serve as an organized guide for both staff and the public to locate SOPs and other important documents pertaining to the routinely conducted procedures throughout the department. This project will serve as phase one of a multi-step process that our parks and recreation staff can continue on from here. The virtual visitors guide project was delivered to us as the result of a cross department collaboration between communications, economic development and GIS. The goal for this project was to create the foundation of an interactive categorized map comprised of businesses that offer a product, service or experience likely to appeal to Milton visitors. This map will contribute to the overall Milton visitor experience by supporting local attractions and amenities.

The effort that we made on this project to identify Milton's unique restaurants, shops, services, activities, and points of interest is really just the first step. Our data has now been passed along to GIS with the goal of it becoming part of a virtual visitor's guide containing an interactive map. For those of you who may be unfamiliar, every year Milton hosts Crab Apple Fest, a massive gathering of artists and vendors, delicious food, and family fun in the fall. Every year, our city staff receives more vendor applications than what the event footprint allows for. To evaluate these applications, a local jury comprised of local community partners meets to review all applications and make the final selections. The application software that we use is great for collecting applications, but it makes the review process a little difficult. To allow for a smoother and more efficient review, we converted every vendor application into a set of a few PowerPoint slides containing every vendor's information, as well as some booth photos. By the day the jury convened, we had designed over 660 PowerPoint slides, but we found it to be well worth it when vendor selection went smoother than we could have imagined. Alongside this, we were also tasked with developing a system to calculate the criterion-driven scoring that enabled juries to fairly and numerically evaluate our vendors.

In serving as the pioneers for the updated jury selection process, we were able to create a sustainable system that will remain practical for future selection juries. We found that the numerical score system ensures fairness when assessing potential vendors as the data directly reflects the average of the scores given by the participating jurors. The PowerPoint slides combined with the updated calculation system allowed for a more efficient review process. After reviewing these applications, we are both so excited to attend Crabapple Fest in the fall.

The Public Works Department tasked us with analyzing the quality of thermoplastic striping on Heritage Walk's speed tables. We then took to researching just how thermoplastic application worked and how we can improve our future applications as a city. Ultimately, we had the opportunity to begin the process of surveying potential vendors and assessing if their services suited our needs. This was definitely a boots on the ground lesson in the value of taxpayer money and using it wisely.

Working with economic development, I conducted an overhaul of the business resources page by reviewing each resource for relevance, accuracy, and usefulness to Milton's business community. Although the existing materials provided some value, many of these resources were outdated and no longer reflected current information or accurate contact details. Therefore, I removed those outdated and no longer applicable resources and updated contact information to ensure that the remaining materials provided reliable, practical guidance for entrepreneurs and business owners. The updated section will now be a large resource for both new and existing business owners.

While Jada was working with Economic Development on that project, I independently had the opportunity to collaborate with Public Works to develop some community notification materials. Milton's transparency with its residents is a critical value that we strive to maintain, but when it comes to public works projects, we wanted to provide another information opportunity outside of our online resources. To bridge this gap between the digital and the physical, I designed some printed door hangers to be used to inform residents and businesses of approaching public works projects that may impact their property. By providing a physical material that summarizes project details, we enable a whole new demographic of residents to be well informed.

This internship has allowed Drew and I to experience other aspects of the city of Milton that expanded our knowledge outside of our major project downloads. Each week we conducted meetings with city staff members across different departments called career conversations. These discussions allowed us to make interpersonal connections and learn about the trials and tribulations of the workplace. Out of every career conversation that I had, it's very difficult to deem one as the most impactful. Each person had a unique story as to how they landed here at Milton, and I found comfort in knowing that there's not always just one clear path to succeeding in a career. But if I had to choose one piece of advice that has stuck out to me the most, it would be from Parks and Recreation Director Tom McElveen. Getting nervous before a presentation or public speaking is completely natural. But Tom shared how he is content with being nervous sometimes because nerves mean you care. And that has resonated with me ever since.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with our deputy city manager, Stacey Inglis. In our conversation, she told me that above all, she covets intentionality in her approach to her career. For her, that looks like choosing to engage with professional development resources to better equip herself to serve Milton's residents. As the closest entity to taxpayers' money, Stacey explained just how important it is for every person in City Hall to do what they can to both protect and better the public process. For her, that looks like choosing to engage with professional development resources by always reading a new book or listening to a new podcast to better equip herself to be a better leader, project manager, presenter, or just a better person. But easily, by far my most impactful career experience over the summer came from a special opportunity that Emily secured for me, getting to sit in on Milton's municipal court proceedings. I wasn't just in the gallery watching as people milled about waiting to be sentenced. I sat with city solicitor Kelsey Maddox as she explained charges, crafted plea deals, and represented the city of Milton before Chief Judge Carnesale, who I also had the opportunity to sit down and speak with. Additionally, Chief Judge Carnesale extended the offer to connect with his wife, Judge Rochelle Carnesale, at Fulton County Superior Court. She gave me the opportunity to join her staff on a tour of the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office. I learned about a whole new side of the justice process I was previously unfamiliar with there. These experiences ended up being influential for me as I applied to law school programs around the country and began to determine what I truly want out of a career in the legal field.

In addition to majoring in political science, I am also minoring in journalism, which has become a strong passion of mine throughout my academic career. Knowing this, Emily collaborated with communications director Greg Patello and created an opportunity for me to apply my journalistic skills in a professional setting. On June 29th, I attended the comprehensive planning open house where I conducted brief interviews with attendees. Following this open house, I wrote a summarized article for the website with both the guidance and assistance of Greg Patello. Being able to practice both my interviewing and reporting skills outside of my college campus was an incredibly beneficial experience. I was able to translate the knowledge that I've gained through my courses into a real life scenario as a journalist. Additionally, we attended the CPAC meeting on June 4th, as well as toured Fire Station 44 and attended Camp Joyful Souls annual field day.

Jada and I also had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with some of Milton PD's police department, police officers on a ride along. We'd like to thank officers Todaro and Stafford for that special experience. We were also given the opportunity to sit down on the Milton to Maine podcast with Christie Weeks to explain where we've been, where we're going and our time here. Thank you, mayor and council for your time and to the city staff for the opportunity and their continued support and confidence. We'd especially like to thank Emily Salerno, who made this experience special by providing so many unique projects and chances to grow and always making sure you were well supported and had a great time along the way.

Mayor and Council, we will now be taking any questions at this time.

Thank you, Council. You want to grill them on anything? Great job. Thank you.

Thank you for your presentation.

You have a very successful career ahead, and I know I saw you all out and about in the community and the events. I love it. You all always have a smile on your face. You represent Milton well, and we appreciate it.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Good job, Emily, too.

Yep. She picks them well. Okay. Well, city clerk, please tell the next item.

Mayor, that next item is the fiscal year 2027 budget workshop. Agenda item number 26228, Deputy City Manager Bernadette Harville.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. We are here this evening to discuss the proposed draft budget for fiscal year 2027, which will cover revenue collections and spending from October 1st, 2026 to September 30th, 2027. Tonight is the third public meeting in our budget process for fiscal year 2027 and will cover the proposed draft budget in its entirety. Council feedback from earlier meetings this cycle, as well as feedback received in prior years, has been incorporated into our budget forecast work. Here you can see our agenda for tonight's meeting. We'll go over the main objectives for the budget discussion meetings, as well as a timeline for the budget process. We will then go over some considerations that have been taken into account by staff when drafting the five-year operating and seven-year capital forecasts. Before going into the budget presentation, we will discuss an update to the comparable financial metrics of the North Fulton cities we have been tracking since 2021 as part of our strategic plan objectives. And then we'll move on into an overview of the FY2027 draft budget, including continuing operations and new initiatives. We will also discuss any notable variances from the fiscal year 2026 amended budget to the proposals for fiscal year 2027. We will also have time for any additional feedback Council would like to provide staff. The overall objective of the budget discussion meetings is to connect with council on the budget forecast that our team has put together with our city manager. These meetings allow us to break up the conversation into smaller segments and receive council and public feedback. Tonight's workshop puts those pieces together into one cohesive presentation as we approach the pending military hearings. The millage rate has historically been adopted immediately after the budget workshop in years past. This year is different for two reasons. One, staff prepared an accelerated timeline to allow council additional review time leading up to the millage rate adoption meetings. And two, Fulton County is still working on property assessments and council approved a resolution last meeting to allow the city to pursue a temporary collection order while that work is being finalized. The hearing to consider authorization of the temporary collection order will be held tomorrow, August 4th, and we will know more after that decision is final. Milton does not bill until October, but approval of a temporary collection order, if needed, will allow us to bill based on the judge's orders so there is no lapse in revenue collections should the county's assessment work continue into the fall. Once Fulton County has completed the assessments and provides a preliminary digest to the city, we will then proceed with the official military adoption process at that time. Our budget has contemplated the situation and it will be discussed further when we get to the general fund revenue portion of our conversation this evening. On this slide, you can see the anticipated timeline for our budget feedback meetings. As mentioned, dates related to the military hearings will be determined once we receive that preliminary digest from Fulton County. On July 6th, our team presented new operating initiatives and capital requests for fiscal year 2027. We also reviewed changes to the capital improvement plan pay as you go program for existing projects. On July 20th, staff presented an overview of the five-year forecast for revenues and expenditures in the general fund. And tonight we will have the budget workshop where the proposed budget will be presented in its entirety. We also have our leadership team here should they have any questions throughout this discussion. In September, we will hold our two public hearings on the proposed budget and final adoption of the budget will take place on September 21st, 2026. Staff always takes a holistic and conservative approach to the budget process. This year, certain notable considerations were addressed when preparing recommendations which were also discussed at the two previous budget input meetings. These considerations include significant city plans which are currently being updated or coming to the end of their life cycle. These include the comprehensive plan update and five-year short-term work program that is currently underway, the five-year strategic plan update, which will follow that plan update, and the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which was projected through 2027. Parks and Recreation Director Tom McElveen presented a new capital request to update this plan at the July 6th meeting that will be included in the budget presentation this evening. This plan also takes into consideration prioritization feedback our boards and council provided during the fiscal year 2024, 2025, and 2026 budget feedback meetings. We held 14 council meetings plus additional board meetings gathering feedback on topics including sustainability, public art, land use, transportation and mobility, and parks and recreation, as well as feedback on existing major capital projects. TSPLOS III will be on the ballot this November. The last two rounds of TSPLOS have passed, so we did proceed with an anticipation that this will continue in the recommendations we spoke about during the five-year forecast and seven-year capital improvement plan forecast. Should this initiative not pass, staff will return to council for discussions on revenue forecasts related to categories like property tax as well as potential reprioritization of PAYGO projects and other discretionary spending categories within the budget. Please keep in mind fiscal year 2027 plans were made with the consideration of the final TSPLUS 2 revenues and any contemplation of receiving TSPLUS 3 funding will only impact the fiscal year 2028 through 2023 forecast, not the actual budget being recommended for adoption. Finally, an item that will impact both the five-year operating and seven-year capital plans is the market study, which is currently underway. Milton conducts a market study related to compensation every other year. Preliminary data shared by our third-party consultant conducting this study and recent vacancies in public safety will be taken into consideration when making final recommendations. Data shows that comparative jurisdictions are leading Milton with a high impact in the areas of police and fire pay, and we will discuss this further this evening when we present those expenditures. In the 2021-2025 strategic plan, priority one, ensure Milton's sustainability and resiliency. Goal number one included an objective to establish a financial metrics comparison relative to similar municipalities. In fiscal year 2021, staff along with our summer intern at that time established a set of financial metrics and began tracking those figures for Milton and the nearby cities of Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek, and Sandy Springs. Utilization of audited financial data reported in each city's annual comprehensive financial report allowed for a standardized look at each city's average revenues, expenditures, and debt. We focus on our neighboring jurisdictions as that is the easiest way to obtain apples to apples comparisons as other jurisdictions may not have lost collections or may have alternative sales tax collections that are currently not collected within jurisdictions in Fulton County. Here you can see the charts depicting revenue collections and property tax levies over the past eight fiscal years. I'll make it. Chart one shows the average per capita revenues over this time period, excluding other financing sources, such as revenues from Interfund transfers in and proceeds from the sale of assets like vehicles and equipment. For reference, we use the average population from 2018 to 2025 for per capita calculations And although Milton is similar in size geographically to Roswell and Sandy Springs and about one and a quarter times larger than Johns Creek and one and a half times larger than Alpharetta, Milton has about 40 to 60 percent fewer residents than these jurisdictions. I say that to explain that if Milton were to have a higher density, the blue bar representing our city would only get smaller in each of the per capita comparison charts. The second chart shows actual average revenue collections, and you can see Milton at approximately $38 million, Alpharetta at $77 million, Roswell at $81 million, Johns Creek at $70 million, and Sandy Springs at $122 million. This shows us that although Alpharetta physically collects fewer revenues than Sandy Springs, they lead in the per capita collections as their population is approximately 39% less than that of Sandy Springs. At the bottom of the page, this chart shows the average maintenance and operating tax levy over the past eight years with reference to the average tax levy for each jurisdiction during that time. You can see with the tax-based makeup at these other cities, even with a lower millage rate, Johns Creek's average tax levy is about $5.6 million more than Milton's and Roswell's average tax levy is $13.9 million more. We also have the last year's adopted maintenance and operating millage rates by city for reference. On this page, you can see the pattern for average expenditures per capita, actual spending, and how that spending is distributed across functions. Again, even with Milton's lower density, our spending is one of the lowest per capita in North Fulton. And when looking at actual dollars spent, Milton is the lowest while still providing the equivalent services. The third chart on this page shows that all cities are fairly in line with how they spend money across the functions, with public safety representing an average of 50%, followed by general administration at 19% of total spending, excluding debt service and inter-fund transfers out. Things start to differ with public works representing the third largest spending category for Milton, Johns Creek, and Sandy Springs, and culture and recreation takes that third rank in Alfred and Roswell. The final category we looked at was debt. These charts represent each city's average debt over the past eight years, including general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, capital leases, notes payable, and certificates of participation for governmental activities. Milton's per capita debt is higher than Roswell and Johns Creek. Again, those per capita figures are impacted by Milton's purposefully lower density. If we had a more dense population, that bar would decrease. When looking at the actual average debt carried, Milton has the lowest outstanding debt coming in at approximately $9 million lower to the next closest city over that time period. Benchmarking like this helps give us an understanding of the current trends in local government and where we stand as a deliverer of services and the value of our taxpayers' dollars. With that in mind, we will now move on into the budget overview portion of tonight's presentation. Before you is the consolidated budget summary. This table shows every fund that has a proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year or carries a budgeted fund balance into fiscal year 2027. We will go through the general fund, each special revenue fund, and the capital improvement plan, which contains activity for each capital projects fund in tonight's presentation. This table gives you a single place where you can see all of the funds summarized in one place. Here we have the general fund budget summary. This table shows actuals for fiscal year 2024 and 2025 for reference, as well as the amended budget for fiscal year 2026. Staff will continue to work on amendments for fiscal year 2026 which may alter some of the year-over-year variances that we will discuss this evening. Those amendments will be presented in September along with the public hearings for the fiscal year 2027 budget. And staff will be sure to point out any changes in the year-over-year variances during those September public hearings. In the gray column, you will see the fiscal year 2027 proposed budget, which includes one minor change from our last budget meeting where we went over the five year forecast. The transfer out to capital was reduced by $150, which will not impact the overall conversation, but we wanted to point that out as it was a change from previously reviewed data. In the final two columns on our table, you can see the year over year variance in dollars and by percentage from fiscal year 2026 as amended budget to the proposals for fiscal year 2027. Overall, the proposed fiscal year 2027 revenues are 0.5% or $251,852 more than what we have budgeted for fiscal year 2026. And overall expenditures have decreased by 5.7% or $3,072,977, which is primarily driven from an operating transfer out to the capital projects fund. At mid-year each year, we review our fund balance and any funding in excess of our required reserves are taken into consideration to fund one-time projects. So the figure in 2027 going out to capital is subject to change during that amendment process. When looking at year-over-year continuing operations, excluding new initiatives or required contingency funding, there's an increase of 7.8%. When taking that contingency funding and other financing uses into consideration, you will see that overall decrease of 5.7% we just mentioned. These proposals yield a projected fund balance in the amount of $12,921,200, which is in line with our policy that requires 25% of the subsequent year's reserves to be maintained as an unrestricted fund balance. Here we have the more detailed view of our revenues by source. In the taxes section, you will see the forecast for current year real and personal property taxes as well as motor vehicle taxes, which are based on our current millage rate of 4.193 mills and an estimated digest growth based on historic trend. We looked at annual average growth for assessed values, billed and collected over the past five years and applied that last year's millage rate. As a reminder, we have not yet received the digest figures from the county. When that data becomes available, we will proceed with our military hearings as required by state law. Having a better understanding of the tax base makeup will allow us to update these figures if needed. We discussed local option sales tax during the last budget meeting on July 20th. This tax is the city's second largest revenue and is driven by consumer spending throughout Fulton County. The decreasing here is driven by one-time World Cup revenues received in fiscal year 2026 that will not recur in fiscal year 2027. And then accounts for a modest growth of about 1.5% as we saw minimal growth from fiscal year 24 to 25, as you can see in the first two numeric columns of this chart. In the intergovernmental revenue category, you can see the recognition of EECBG grant in FY26 that will not carry into fiscal year 27. That was a one-time funding which covered 100% of our facility condition assessment, and you will see a similar year-over-year impact to the expenditures when we discuss public works later this evening. The next category we would like to discuss is investment income. The decrease seen here is related to the timeline for construction of Fire Station 45 and the new active athletic complex on Deerfield Parkway. As those expenses are incurred, we will have fewer idle dollars available in our investment accounts, leading to fewer earnings anticipated in fiscal year 27 than 26. THOSE ARE THE EXPLANATIONS FOR THE MORE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO REVENUE PROJECTIONS, BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUES BEFORE PROCEEDING TO THE EXPENDITURE PROPOSALS. This table shows the year over year variances for our operating expenditures by category. We will go over the variances by department in just a moment. Please note the proposed budget includes a placeholder for market adjustments to salaries ranging from 5% to 15% based on data provided by our third party consultants working on that independent compensation analysis as well as data gathered from our neighboring jurisdictions. You may recall that our current salary strategy involves the employment cost index in even fiscal years and a market analysis in odd fiscal years. So fiscal year 27 will reflect trends in the market based on similarly situated jurisdictions and those that the city competes with for staffing. Within the salaries and wages category, we also fund the annual merit pay incentive, which is a non-compounding and issued as a standalone payment based on performance for the given review period. This program was discussed in public meetings at length and is rooted in our core values, ensuring that Team Milton is upholding these principles in their everyday work and encounters with citizens, stakeholders, and with one another. Adjustments to salaries also impact salary-dependent benefits including employer matches to the 401 and 457 retirement plans, employer-provided life and AD&D insurance and disability benefits, and workers' compensation premiums. Additionally, there is a 10% forecasted increase to medical insurance premiums, 7% to dental, and 5% to vision included in this proposal as market trends and group experience have been taken into consideration. Our team will work with our insurance broker throughout the summer to minimize increases through various approaches, but these projections should allow us to make considerations without significantly changing the coverage levels offered. Variances in these categories, as well as others, will be discussed on a department-by-department basis in just a moment, but this table gives you an idea of how the proposed expenditures are distributed across salaries and benefits, maintenance and operating, and other financing uses since fiscal year 2024. As we move on to the explanation for more significant variances within each department, please remember these variances are representations of changes excluding any new initiative requests, which allow you to see what changes have occurred to our continuing operations before taking those new initiatives into consideration. One of the more noteworthy changes made this cycle was the decision to budget for the employer contributions to the defined benefit pension wholly within the human resources department, as opposed to being budgeted across the departments that have participants remaining in the program. This plan was closed to new hires in July, 2014. And as staff began to leave service, it was determined that is a more fitting to have this expense UNDER HUMAN RESOURCES. THIS WILL RESULT IN A LARGE INCREASE IN HUMAN RESOURCES AND OFFSETTING DECREASES ACROSS THOSE OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CATEGORY. HERE WE HAVE THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL DEPARTMENT AND THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FROM FISCAL YEAR 2026 TO 2027. AS I GO THROUGH IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING PLEASE FEEL FREE TO STOP ME. We have already discussed the impacts to salaries and benefits, so I will only touch on those figures if something to consider specific to the department stands out outside of those citywide changes. In the city clerk department, you will see a decrease in the professional services category based on projected changes to the utilization of third party transcription services as a team looks into alternative transcription options. And funding in fiscal year 26 for machinery and equipment was related to a laptop for the part-time position that will not recur in fiscal year 2027. And that department's overall increase is $8,658, or 3.4%. In the city manager department, we are seeing the first department that has been impacted by the move of those employer contributions to the defined benefit pension to the human resources department, which has other increases that have been offset and accounted for in this change to the employee benefit category. The decrease in professional services is a result of the budget for the biennial national citizen survey in fiscal year 2026 that will not occur in fiscal year 2027, approximating $22,450, as well as the request for $75,000 related to expenses associated with strategic planning process in 26 that has been reduced to $10,000 in fiscal year 27. Any unused funds will be released to fund balance and taken into consideration for one-time projects in the PAYGO program in our mid-year discussion next spring. Fulton County conducted the November 2025 general municipal election at no initial cost to the city of Milton. Fiscal year 2027 contemplates advertising and staffing time for training should the city conduct the November 2020 general municipal election. There have been no significant changes in general administration. This is the department where we book expenses associated with multiple departments such as paper or other general office supplies. We also account for the city's postage meter and associated postage costs here and general subscriptions like that to Costco or Zoom. We spoke about the staffing changes that will impact our year-over-year salary and benefits figure for finance and community development at the budget input meeting on July 20th. The internal changes include outsourcing the architectural services and community development, eliminating the need for a full-time architect position, This has been underway and has been successful. Reclassifying the director of special projects position in community development to a deputy finance director position and reclassifying the part-time revenue specialist position to a full-time administrative services coordinator position that will work in clerical work across finance and human resources. As a reminder, these changes net a reduction of one part-time position and an annual savings of approximately $85,000 when taking all of that into consideration. The decrease in professional services reflects several factors, including the elimination of one-time costs associated with interim financial management services prior to the establishment of the in-house deputy finance director position of approximately $62,000, as well as savings realized from transitioning to a new merchant services configuration as part of the city's financial software implementation of approximately $8,500. The decrease in maintenance contracts is attributable to the elimination of certain contracted services that have been incorporated into the new financial software platform. The decrease in the legal department reflects lower anticipated legal expenditures as costs return to more typical levels. And in information services, the decrease in professional services reflects one-time managed security services performed in fiscal year 2026 that are not expected to recur at the same level in fiscal year 2027 due to their cyclical nature. The decrease in maintenance contracts is primarily attributable to bringing certain subscriptions in-house versus sourcing them through our third-party managed service provider, which will save money overall. You will see these subscriptions accounted for under the capital outlay section as part of our computer software purchases. Also in the capital outlay category is funding for cloud upgrades at $25,000 and funding to explore a new AI solution that Information Services is researching that will be approximately $45,000 annually and may help reduce costs overall once fully implemented throughout multiple departments. In human resources, you will see that significant change in employee benefits as the full annual employer contribution to the defined benefit plan is moved here. An increase of $843,038 from HR's portion in FY2026. The decrease in professional services is related to our transition to a new HRIS platform and one-time costs associated with the implementation incurred in fiscal year 26 that will not recur in 27. We used available funding from categories such as education and training and maintenance contracts to fund those professional services, so you will see those categories return to the fully funded amounts for fiscal year 27. The risk management department accounts for our city insurance coverage, including general liability, cyber coverage, automobiles, et cetera, and the related claims expenses. We are forecasting an increase of approximately 4% going into fiscal year 2027. Our policy runs from May to May, so costs associated with the first seven months are already known, and the increase is adjusted for those remaining months. Within general government buildings, we account for expenses associated with City Hall, the Bird House, the McConnell Chadwick House, and the Public Works Maintenance Building. Other facilities are accounted for within their own related departments, such as fire stations are on fire, the police stations and police departments. Savings were realized in the cleaning services category under our new contract. You will see this similarly in other departments as we go through this evening's presentation. The increase in facility repair and maintenance is due to wood floors needing to be refinished and exterior pressure washing at the birdhouse and interior painting at city hall. Increases in grounds repair and maintenance are associated with the newly added routine mowing at the McConnell Chadwick property of approximately $4,700. And landscape screening for the public works maintenance facilities you enter Birmingham Park of $5,000. And contractual changes to the landscaping care at the birdhouse is a new contract and expanded scope for slope maintenance of approximately $8,000. You're going to see similar increases across grounds repair and maintenance as well as we are currently under bid for a new contract that was originally issued in 2021 and that accounts for inflation during that time. In communications, we had periodic upgrade work and reconfigurations to the website, which occur approximately every five to seven years in fiscal year 26, which will not recur in 27, yielding savings of $31,500. The reduction in maintenance contracts is related to the reclassification of subscription-based IT-related contracts in 27, and 26 figures are subject to change as we complete our entries for that year. There are not many significant changes to municipal court. The salaries line includes funding for all court sessions and related court security. And professional services covers our portion of the IGA positions that are shared with the City of Alpharetta and accounts for any anticipated changes to their salaries and benefits as we cover 40% of those. In the police department maintenance contracts, inmate services are up $75,000 in FY27 from 26 based on the newly approved IGA with Alpharetta. Animal control is based on usages and is anticipated to go up about $10,000 based on recent trends. An in-car and body-worn camera contract has an annual contractual increase, and there's also consideration for security improvement features, which combine together to approximately $64,000 year over year. That is the primary significant change in the police department. In the fire department, equipment repair and maintenance, they have added two additional SCBA fill stations, yielding a $2,000 increase in 27. Their fit test machine is at the end of life, yielding $14,000. And equipment for engine 45 is $6,000 in 27 that did not occur in 26. Facility repair and maintenance has one-time costs associated with Station 41 improvements like paint, doors, and bathroom dividers that will not recur in 27, yielding an approximate $75,000 decrease. Uniforms. includes new bailout kits in the turnout year that are at their end of life, and includes $42,000 for those replacements in fiscal year 27. General supplies includes medical supplies, medications, and training supplies, and cost increases and stocking needs have been taken into consideration. In machinery and equipment, the purchase of five new radios to replace the last of the old models is approximately $36,800 increase from the funding in 26. There's a request for a hose roller of $11,000 and positive pressure fans for $20,000 and fire training general equipment of $5,000. In public works, professional services decreased primarily driven by the EECBG grant related activity that occurred in 26 that will not recur in 27 of $71,338 that we also saw in the revenue lines when we spoke earlier. Equipment repair and maintenance, wayfinding sign maintenance every three to four years is needed at $10,000. Grounds repair and maintenance accounts for those contractual increase anticipations as a new bid is underway. Rental equipment includes street and snow events that were not incurred in 26. And general supplies and small equipment has sign and signal materials that are also needed periodically at $50,000 to cover the needs in the inventory refreshment for 27. The materials allowance cost is up $16,800 due to pricing for those materials and general materials for snow and ice removal. Finally, fiscal year 2027 also has equipment needs for snow and ice and traffic control at $25,000 that was not incurred in 26. In Parks and Recreation, cleaning services is down due to that new contract yielding overall savings in fiscal year 2027. Facility repair and maintenance includes one-time cost in fiscal year 2026 for Bell Memorial Park, including HVAC replacement of $10,500, parking lot LED light conversion project, which was $11,800, and end zone safety netting of $20,000 that will not recur in 2027. Grounds repair and maintenance, again, has consideration for that new contract that's under bid. RENTALS ARE RIGHT SIZED FOR CURRENT USAGE AND MAY HAVE FUNDING LEFT IN 26 THAT WILL BE RELEASED. GENERAL SUPPLIES HAVE ONE-TIME COST IN FISCAL YEAR 2026 RELATED TO BASEBALL EQUIPMENT AT BELLAMORE APART THAT WON'T RECUR IN 27. In the passive parks department, again, the cleaning new contract has yielded savings in fiscal year 2027. And the facility repair maintenance category, we have general maintenance for Hopewell Road buildings up $10,000 in 27. And grounds repair accounts for that new contract under bid and a full year of maintenance on the new improvements at Milton City Park and Preserve, an additional $25,000 to also get power to the garage on the Southwoods portion of that property. IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, ONE-TIME IMPLEMENTATION RELATED COSTS FOR THE EP&L IMPLEMENTATION CONSISTS OF $100,000 IN 27 THAT WILL NOT, THAT DID NOT OCCUR IN 26. IN THE DUE AND FEES CATEGORY, THERE'S FUNDING FOR THE NORTH FOLTON ECONOMIC ALLIANCE OF $25,000. AND THE MAINTENANCE COSTS INCLUDE COST FOR EP&L IN THE FINAL YEAR CITY VIEW BASED ON THE TIMING OF THE CONTRACTS DUE AND THAT INCREASE WILL NOT RECUR IN FUTURE YEARS. And finally, for the general fund, we have the contingency released in FY26 and reallocated in FY27 of that $417,000. And the transfer to capital projects fund, which $4.2 million in fiscal year 2026 from that mid-year transfer. And then we had the PAYGO requests are decreased by $1.7 million than originally anticipated due to us pausing the funding for the indoor community center in Providence Park, yielding that 6.6% decrease year over year. Again, we'll look at that again at mid-year. So this, that is the final request. And then we have the one initiative that our director, Ashley Smith, went over at the July 6th meeting for a GIS technician, which will actually yield savings in year one and additional savings in year two as that person takes on additional responsibilities from the third-party contract. We also have in this presentation reference to the five-year projections that we went over. So I won't go over those again this evening since we went over them in detail. But does anyone have any questions about the general fund before we move on to the special revenue funds? Here's a summary of the anticipated revenues and expenditures for events sponsored or co-sponsored by the City of Milton. The transfer in includes both the funding coming from the Hotel Motel Tax Fund as well as funding from the General Fund. Our team will work throughout the year to incorporate sponsorships and vendor fees, and should those exceed the projections we have here, they will reduce the transfer from the General Fund accordingly. Here we have the year-over-year expenses by event. You will see a change in the funding requested for Crabapple Fest, which will be partially covered by the anticipated increases we saw under the charges for services related to vendor fees on the previous table, as the footprint for this event is being expanded. This will provide an opportunity for an additional 30 to 35 businesses to participate as well as additional children's activities and offerings. Our team is also looking for additional opportunities throughout the year for events that support our growing economic development initiatives. Another example of this would be the expansion of the current Easter event into what is being called Big Sprig Thing. Again, providing opportunities for businesses to collaborate with the city and Stone Creek Church to broaden the activities and offerings at this event. YEAR-FOR-YEAR EXPENDITURES ARE PROJECTED TO INCREASE BY $54,370, PRIMARILY BEING DRIVEN BY THE PROPOSED CRAP APPLE FEST GROWTH, WITH A PORTION OF THAT BEING COVERED BY THOSE VENDOR FEES. The confiscated assets fund is utilized to account for the use of confiscated assets by the city's police department. Both federal and state and local confiscated assets are maintained within this fund, and guidelines by both jurisdictions must always be adhered to. Expenses are recognized when eligible spending is identified by the police department, and these funds have covered purchases like the police bounce house you may see at city events, Milton's share of certain SWAT equipment, and the opportunity to train staff in years when funding may not be available for certain opportunities. Similarly, the opioid settlements fund has strict guidelines for spending. These funds are collected based on individual agreements with manufacturers and pharmacies. Our team has been able to purchase drug destruction buckets, Narcan, and drug detection equipment with these funds. The E911 fund is where we recognize revenues related to E911 fees associated with landlines, wireless, and VoIP services. 100% of Milton's share is sent to the city of Alpharetta per our IGA that covers dispatching services. We are not anticipating a change in the collections, but should they go up or down, an amendment to both the revenue and expense lines will be brought before council in the official amendment process. We have no current operating grant funds at this time. Historically, they have covered things like additional staffing or things like the EECBG grant. And only if they exceed 2% of our general fund do they need to be recognized in this separate fund. The American rescue plan fund received from the federal funding, enabling communities to recover from the impacts of COVID are recognized in this fund. Spending related to these funds have been completed as of July, 2026. And our final reporting will be submitted in September. So we have no anticipation for related activity in fiscal year, 2027. The final special revenue fund is the hotel motor tax fund. And again, 100% of these revenues from our one hotel in the city are transferred out to the city events fund to support Milton sponsored events throughout the year. Now we're moving on to our capital projects funds. These charts show activity for each individual capital projects fund. You can see the actual revenues and expenditures for fiscal year 2023 to 24 and 25 and the amended budget for fiscal year 2026 and the proposal for 2027. I'm going to go through these quickly as we're going to see this in a different view in just a moment, but this is all of the individual funds. And on this page, you can see all of those funds combined into the summary by project, which we refer to as our capital improvement plan. This plan is a seven year look at the needs for our projects that are capital in nature and which exceed $50,000. Council is only adopting a budget for the projections in fiscal year 2027. And the subsequent six years are for reference and long term planning and will be looked at annually. ON THE LEFT YOU CAN SEE THE ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS FOR NONRECURRING PROJECTS. ONGOING MAINTENANCE LIKE PAVING OR PURCHASES LIKE VEHICLE REPLACEMENT DO NOT HAVE ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS AS THEY ARE RECURRING IN NATURE. NEXT YOU WILL SEE THE FUNDS FOR WHICH HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED TO DATE ACROSS ALL FUNDING SOURCES INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS THAT WILL BE BEFORE COUNCIL IN SEPTEMBER FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026. AND NEXT TO THAT IS THE AVAILABLE BALANCES AFTER TAKING ANY CONTRACTUAL ENCUMBRANCES INTO CONSIDERATION. Expenditure totals to get to this value can be found on each individual project sheet. THE NEXT SERIES OF COLUMNS INCLUDES FORECASTED FUNDING OVER THE SEVEN-YEAR PERIOD FROM THE GENERAL FUND OPERATING TRANSFER, T-SPLOST REVENUES, IMPACT FEES AND OTHER FUNDING SOURCES SUCH AS IGA'S GRANTS AND POTENTIAL DEBT IF APPLICABLE. THIS SUMMARY DOES NOT CONTEMPLATE THE NEED FOR ANY ADDITIONAL DEBT FUNDING OVER THE SEVEN-YEAR PERIOD WHICH CURRENTLY INCLUDES THE INDOOR COMMUNITY CENTER IN PROVIDENCE PARK AS STILL REQUIRING FUNDING. YOU CAN SEE IN THE FAR RIGHT-HAND COLUMN ANY PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT FULLY FUNDED AT THE END OF THE SEVEN-YEAR PERIOD. This next slide is a dialed-in look at the requests across the seven-year plan associated with the operating transfer in from the general fund, also referred to as our PAYGO program. We went over this in detail at the July 6th meeting, so I'll not go through it all again tonight, but I'm happy to address any projects if you all have any questions. And you can also refer to the additional project sheets that we have behind here. Each project has an additional sheet that shows you all the details related to each one. And our final session for tonight's budget workshop is the new capital initiatives that were also presented in detail at the July 6th meeting. We have the proposal for fire station building improvements that will address new bay doors at fire station 41 and new bay doors and bay fans at fire station 43. And the proposal for the comprehensive parks and recreation master plan, which will look at the changes made throughout the last 10 years and address active field space as well as recreational opportunities throughout a series of public input meetings as we embark on the next 10 years. That wraps up everything this evening. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have or take in any feedback that you'd like to provide.

Any questions from Ms. Bernadette? Good work as always. Thank you. I appreciate it.

I want to just put a marker out there. I'm very... interested in beefing up our traffic enforcement for the recklessness, the driving, the speeding, but also this excessive noise that I'm getting so many complaints about from citizens, the modified mufflers and other things that people do that I really don't understand, but everybody seems to hear it and it's bothering people. But I'm aware of our issue with Fulton County and that'll be resolved. By years in, so I'll bring this back up and we'll get to it. But chief, you'll hopefully have more staff to put on traffic patrol and this noise abuse will become a thing of the past in Milton. But thank you very much. Okay, it's kind. All right. Thank you very much. And I appreciate Mr. Krokoff working on the noise abatement provisions we're looking at. So thank you very much.

Thank you.

Mayor, that next item is discussion of development authorities as an economic development tool for destination Deerfield. It's agenda item number 26229. Our deputy community development director and economic development director, Tracy Wilds and Mark Farmer. Thank you.

Mayor, members of council, we are here tonight to further the discussion of a possible Deerfield Development Authority. At the July 6th council meeting, during the comprehensive plan discussion, staff was asked about the status of Deerfield. And at that time, we were asked to potentially look at possible implementation tools for that area. So the purpose of this presentation tonight is to begin transitioning the conversation around Destination Deerfield from vision to implementation, and then to evaluate tools that could help guide the redevelopment and perhaps address any implementation challenges that we're seeing. At the end of the discussion, we're looking for council's feedback on the best implementation tools for Destination Deerfield and what the best organizational structure might be. So as we look at the vision, for more than a year now, we have shaped and shared the vision for Destination Deerfield. We've had stakeholder meetings, we've had incredible community engagement, and we've built excitement around transforming a struggling commercial corridor into what we think could be a vibrant, walkable, mixed-use destination. The vision is bigger than just redeveloping a few parcels. It's about creating a place, a destination that's anchored by recreation and dining and entertainment and an experience that gives people who visit destination a reason to come and stay there for a while. But now comes the hard part. With that vision, how do we implement it? We know what we want Deerfield to look like and to be, but how do we actually get there? So when asked, what is the status of Deerfield? Well, the good news is that we're seeing activity. Redevelopment interest is growing, public investments are underway, and there are multiple properties that are evolving and improving. For example, we had a mixed-use development that was approved earlier this year on Deerfield Corporate Center. We have ministry brands who relocated their headquarters to the H building. The city park plans are on the drawing board. And the Georgia 400 interchange came online in June. So there's momentum and there's activity, but there's also comes challenges. Because what we're seeing is each of these parcels and these developments come in parcel by parcel and one by one. And when that happens, we face developers who have a different set of goals, a different set of timelines, a different set of priorities. And as you begin working through all of that, the overall vision for Deerfield becomes diminished a little bit because our focus turns away from the holistic approach and it's focused on each individual partial. So we ask ourselves, what can we use or what can we implement to help us realign that vision? We think of some tools that could help guide the implementation. One is the community vision, which we already have. We know what we want this district to look like. We know our priorities. What we don't have yet is a urban design master plan, a land use master plan. And that's essential. That's essential in looking at this entire area. It's going to provide the framework. It's going to provide coordination on land uses and infrastructure. How do we connect trails and parks and public spaces, places? How does each parcel connect with one another so that it creates a more cohesive design? And then once we have that plan, what organizational structure do we use to implement it? One might be a development authority. And that's what we want to talk a little bit further about tonight regarding or coordinating that implementation. And I'll turn it over to Mark.

Thanks, Tracy. As indicated, a possible solution for realizing the Destination Deerfield vision would be activating a development authority. The city can do this by adopting a resolution and appointing a board of seven to nine members that would be selected by city council. One of the advantages of development authority is that it is free from some of the limitations sometimes that municipalities face. For instance, they have a freer hand to assemble and acquire property, engage in public-private partnerships, engage in certain financing tools, and to explore economic development incentives. But the relationship between the city and a development authority is one of partnership, but with the city taking the lead role. CERTAIN MEASURES ARE AVAILABLE TO THE CITY TO ENSURE THAT. ONE IS GOVERNANCE. AS MENTIONED, THE CITY COUNCIL WOULD APPOINT THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF THE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. UNDER THE POLICY UMBRELLA, THE ACTIVATION RESOLUTION WOULD CONTAIN THE CONTOURS OF WHAT THE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO. And to further that measure, you would have an intergovernmental agreement. More on that in just a moment. From a financial perspective, the city would set the budget and project budgets for Deerfield Development Authority. And major actions such as bond usage, property acquisition, and tax abatements would require city approval as well. I mentioned the IGA. Some of the typical measures that would be included in the verbiage of an IGA would be to align the Deerfield Development Authority activity to the city's economic development strategy. I mentioned that the major projects would have to be approved. This is a further way to codify that in the IGA. And importantly, in this case, to target the activity of the authority to the Deerfield area. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs registers development authorities in the state, and their database contains over 1,000 development authorities of various kinds across the state. So it's a very common tool that's used effectively around the state for economic development and redevelopment. We chose it as an example, one that has similarities to Destination Deerfield. The city of Peachtree Corners utilized this development authority to bring its town center to reality. And some of the activities that the development authority there undertook were acquisition of land, overseeing a master plan, identifying development partners, selling land for targeted development, and managing projects under that master plan. And I'll turn it back to Tracy.

Again, to close out the presentation, we just wanted to recap the decision points. Again, the community division, community vision, we've established. We have that. That was that entire process of Destination Deerfield. The urban design master plan is in process. We feel like that's the next essential step. But the direction tonight is whether you feel what the feedback is for a Deerfield development authority.

Thank you. Questions for staff?

Questions or statements?

All of the above.

I think that if we don't do this, we're going to arrive at mediocrity via fragmentation. This would be very exciting. I think the only unknown is what are the criteria that we're going to have for members of the authority, and we need to work through that. And then we have a real opportunity to look back in a number of years and say, we have a product out there as good as anybody else's. But I don't want it to be destination mediocre one day. So thank you. I think it's great. And if people have a problem with the whole words development authority, why don't we call it a development management authority? authority, because that's really what it does. We get away from the fragmentation of all these different people, and we've seen it in the plans that have been presented to us. We need big, beautiful, cohesive stuff. Thank you.

Thank you for the presentation. I'm learning a lot. I appreciate the details in the slides. I've done some research. I'm trying to figure out really what the concept of a development authority does. You guys touched on some of that. Mark, on your slide, you had talked about the authority and i just want to confirm some of these they can own property they can issue bonds and they can acquire land is that within scope of a development authority maybe that's a legal question too yeah councilmember i can i can answer that and the answer is is yes typically with the development authority what you're going to see is an armed links transit and transaction they don't have the power of eminent domain

They are considered in most situations a political subdivision of the state of Georgia. They are a separate entity from the city. It has formidable tools to train them. Number one is the intergovernmental agreement you just talked about, which would add a lot of the bookends on the scope of their geographic jurisdiction. The other is simply funding and staff support. They will have neither unless they are doing exactly what the city council wants them to do and then of course there is the largest checkmate you have uh with respect to a development authority which is 36 62 14 that provides that if there is no debt they don't have any debt um you can terminate them by way of a resolution so i just i want you to understand that number one development authorities are provided or are so popular the staff just talked about a thousand of them they are popular because they are flexible They're popular because they can do things in the economic development realm that a city or a county cannot do. However, they are also dependent. And you can't really contemplate and have a good faith discussion about development authorities without talking about that. Do they have a lot of powers? Absolutely. On paper, they do. But things to do cost money, staff time, resources, assets, land. They have none of those things.

Within the IGA, how do we create the guardrails where we don't relinquish all control to this development authority? In other words, how do you structure it such that major decisions still reside with the elected body here?

Well, again, that's going to be something we're going to have to put together in sort of a structured way, dealing with whoever you put on the authority and city leaders. But let me back up, if I can back up one step from your statement. One of the critical things that you need to be thinking about should you decide to embrace this, and I don't know sort of what your vision is, but should you decide to embrace the flexibility and the additional, think of it this way, the additional tools in the toolkit for realizing the city's vision on Deerfield. If you want to embrace that, number one, You need to be thinking about your appointments. I cannot think of an entity that is more important to make sure that you get the right appointments in the right places. I would recommend people with a Deerfield focus. That's a good limiter right there. They know what they're coming in to do. And you want people that want to work symbiotically with the council. That's what you want them to do. Then the IGA is going to flow naturally and organically based upon the plan that staff has put together and the amount of resources that we're going to provide. They're going to be provided based upon a master plan for Deerfield, and that's all. And they're going to be doing things in Deerfield, and if you want to do anything other than Deerfield, you have no staff support, you have no council support, you have no money, you have no assets, and you have no resources. That's sort of academic. So my point simply is focus on those appointments.

One question to add in. So if you said seven or nine, let's just assume it's seven or seven of us. We each get an appointee. What is the term limit of that? What is the like if if if someone we end up putting someone on there, we're like, oh, may not have been a good choice. Can we remove them from the development authority?

You know, that's interesting. And the typical rule is, is that you cannot. I mean, they are a duly qualified member now of an authority. And so that kind of goes back to why I was sort of setting the stage is let's be very methodical in thinking through the individuals we want on those. um we're going to have to come up with a tight intergovernmental agreement uh but typically short of some sort of serious infraction not just they're not sharing my vision you really can't pluck them off that way what i have seen some jurisdictions do is if they believe that seven got a little bit of out of kilter and they're not happy with the majority they've gone ahead and expanded it to nine and added two more some would call that packing i'm not so cynical as to call it packing, but you get the idea there would be an additional tool. But don't forget, and again, I keep going back to this, there is a express poison pill the General Assembly has given the counties and cities with respect to development authority, and that if there's no debt, there's no authority if you get weary of it.

You kind of addressed part of my question, and I'm not sure whether it's for Ken or for Mark, but What are the qualifications for these seven to nine folks? I mean, I have no clue what exactly we're looking for. And based on that, how hard is it going to be for us to find seven to nine people that understand Deerfield and have these characteristics that you believe we should be looking for.

I want to turn it over to staff. Can I read the statute very quickly just to get that, you know, I will have checked my city attorney box and I can give it to. So the 3662 five says the directors, and that's just shorthand for the individuals on the authority shall be taxpayers and residing in the city and their successor shall be appointed as provided, blah, blah, blah. The governing authority of the city may appoint no more than one member of the governing authority as a director. So one individual on the authority can actually be from the city council. The others have to be simply just individuals that reside. The qualifications are not exacting, but again, think of it this way. That is a canvas upon which the city can paint on. And that's good, too. There's no preconceived ideas, which is why I would suggest to you that if you want to create an authority to deal with Deerfield, have people with a passion for deer.

Do they have to be citizens?

Yeah, I think they're going to have to have legal status.

Or could they have businesses in Deerfield? Or in Milton, I should say.

No, it's very clear that they need to reside in the city for which the authority.

Ken, does the IGA determine what decisions would require council approval versus development authority approval?

Yes, I think that it could. The reason you're seeing me, I'm not hedging, but the reason you're seeing me sort of is because This entity, they already exist. It's kind of a curiosity in Georgia law. In fact, we're not actually creating them. It's funny. We're activating them. They already exist. The state law says they already exist in every county and every city. So we're not creating anything. We do have to activate it. Think of making it viable. We're doing that if the council could choose to. But with respect to the intergovernmental agreement, the thing I need to emphasize is it is an independent agency constrained by all the things I talked about to include the intergovernmental agreement, the funding, the staff support, et cetera. So yes, we will design the intergovernmental agreement where the development authority will not be able to take unilateral action in Deerfield without consensus of the council. And think of it this way. If this vision is realized, it's going to be city property, probably. It's going to be city land use, definitely. It's going to be city vision. It's going to be city master planning. It's going to be city staff. You can see where that goes. That's the beauty of how much power you'll have over this entity.

You can ask a question to staff. Do you see a development authority as something that, because you said they have to have access to staff resources. Do you see this as a burden as one more entity to have to work with? Or do you see this as something that would be helpful because it would streamline your process?

I would say the latter, because if you, under the rules of development authorities and what they're intended to do, and to further answer Council Member Jacobus's question earlier of who would be on the board, I think you're talking about people in addition who have a passion for Deerfield, who have expertise in things like real estate, banking, finance, the kinds of things you would want to direct that kind of activity. And as such, they should allow us to be more efficient And even though, yes, we will interact with them, it will be to accomplish things that we could not do otherwise.

Yeah, bringing resources to the table we may not have in the city staff that is part of this. Yeah, I totally agree. What can we do, Ken Staff, as it relates to, like, this may have some negative connotations. I think this actually is a very positive connotation for what we're trying to accomplish in Destination Deerfield. But what can we do? What should we do to actually make this an open, a very transparent discussion with this new group to actually be publicly available to citizens to see and review any activity that's taking place?

I'll jump in on that. So. should the council move forward with with this uh development authority correct me if i'm wrong ken is subject to all of the open meetings act requirements as any of our boards or commissions so these will all be public meetings opportunities for the community to be involved at the end of the day um just going back to a little bit of what the city attorney said they need to be executing the community's vision um so if at any at any point that they are not and the council is no longer pleased with that outcome, dissolution is the response.

Okay. Do they have regular meetings like DRB and BZA? Do they have regularly scheduled monthly meetings, or do they act a little more independent?

That can be determined based on their workload. They can set their regular meeting schedule and have those meetings when they need them. That would all be publicly advertised, and I'm sure it would find its way onto the city website.

That was my next question is, is it advertised? Is there opportunity for public comment and interaction?

I see this most akin to our green space committee that we had had. They convened when they needed to, when things were moving. They met more when things weren't moving as much. They met less frequently, but all of their meetings were in the open, conducted just like any of these meetings.

And subject to input from citizens.

That's correct.

I'm a little confused about the debt that they can create. You know, we're a relatively conservative city. We don't carry a lot of debt. But they can issue bonds so they can create debt, even though, I mean... Ken said we provide them with funding, but if they go get bonds that we're not providing, I'm just confused about how that operates.

Right. Well, and that's a fair question. There's going to be two sorts of debt. And again, I want to be very clear to say I do not. since there's any appetite on this council to want this entity to be going out and drawing down debt but there's two kinds there's either there's either debt that is backed by the full faith and credit of the council which you would have to sign off on agree to so let's just go ahead and check that box as a big no That's easy. Then some development authorities can enter into true private financing bond obligations where there's a private financier that is paying or going to pay off the bonded indebtedness. In that situation, the city is not pledging its full faith and credit. But I want to go back to the idea that I have a belief that this unique sort of development authority is going to be heavily curtailed by this council of these people. a vis-a-vis the members being focused on Deerfield, vis-a-vis the fact that they're not going to want to get into the debt situation, that you probably won't tolerate that. And if you got wind of it, you would probably shut them down before they could issue it.

Yeah, they don't get our credit card.

Nor can they go get their own credit card is what it sounds like. That's interesting.

And assign it to us.

And again, I want to be candid with you. I think some development authorities are sort of like in some jurisdictions are given like a fire and forget instruction, go out and make our county or city economically powerful and viable. That's not what I'm seeing. I'm seeing here a very limited charge. It's going to be staffed with people with a limited, important, but limited vision. Going to be given staff resources to implement that vision based on a plan prepared by, you see what I'm saying? I mean, I think we are going to make this our own, and then we will have the ultimate tools to end it if we don't believe that it's working.

Tracy, to go back to the reason why we're even discussing this, is it fair to say what we've been seeing are our destination deer field getting piecemealed by developers coming in and putting in their little projects, trying to maximize their pockets. And it's really shaping, the developers are shaping deer field instead of the citizens. And this is a way to kind of take a little control back and to allow that vision to take place. Is that fair to say?

That is very fair to say, yes.

Okay, good.

Does this slow down any of the projects that are currently being contemplated?

It does not. In fact, the use permit that we approved earlier this year, they have not submitted their LDP yet, their land disturbance permit. So that activity has not begun yet. And the city park plans are still on the drawing board. But we are expecting those things to come in.

I think... I don't want to lead the witness, but my experience has been that investors and developers and others appreciate development authorities because it's a protection of their investment. And they're much more likely to do big things if it's a cohesive master plan that they feel like everybody's bought into. To me, it's the ultimate carrot and a stick.

Well, investors are going to say, well, how are you going to go do this? Well, this is how we're going to go and do this, right? It's cohesive understanding of the plan that we can actually execute around with the city's vision front and center.

But if somebody were to bring a project forward in the next month or so, would they be told, would they be sidelined until this was put in place?

Well, right now, from a parcel-by-parcel perspective, there are so many requirements that they have to meet for that parcel independently. So they're meeting those requirements. What we're not seeing is that that's a cohesive application for the entire district. So if you remember through the moratorium, we talked about incentives and our urban design manual and our regulations, those sort of things. There will be things that they have to meet for that. So there would be no delay in someone submitting an application for those considerations. But there's a ton of requirements that they have to go through to make sure that that individual parcel meets it. And that's in part largely the problem right now is the focus becomes that individual parcel. And it becomes disconnected. The activity as a whole becomes disconnected with what the overall vision is.

How long do you think it will be before we have an urban design? And then based on your information or knowledge of development authorities, how long would it take us to put that together?

Urban design, meaning a master plan?

Yeah, the master plan.

I think we could have, I think with some assistance, we could have that master plan in the next 30, 60 days because we know what our priorities are. And so working with staff, we could get that. If you remember, for those of you who are here a long time, we had a master plan for downtown Crabapple here. And it was illustrative and it captured all of the things that we wanted this area to become. And there are differences. It's not exact, but it's essential to planning a plan or to designing a plan. As far as the development authority, I would have to lean on Mark or either to the attorney about how long it would take to put that together.

Well, the development authority itself can be put together with lightning speed. But just because we create it, we then have to man it, forgive the words, but manage to staff it, if you will. And when I say staff, I'm talking about the appointments. that may take you some time for all the reasons i just mentioned to you i do if we go down that path i do want you to think you know long and hard about those individuals and make sure that we have the right people in the right places the skill sets that was referenced as well focus but uh you know 45 days maybe 60 days but again that's when the staff that's when the city gets to go ahead not not before

Ken, when it relates to it, I think we talk about it. It's the people that we're going to be putting on to this authority matters. How do we vet these individuals? We may know them, right? I know them very well, but we also need to make sure they are not benefiting in any way, shape, or form from the development of destination.

Small room, swinging incandescent light, and I will talk early on to the individual. gotten that no um i think you know it's funny you said that i was thinking about that as we were talking so under the open meetings act there's this there's this formula that said that if you want to if you want to appoint a new senior executive one of the things you have to do is to allow the community to also park light on them you can release the name of an of an appointment now this is for like a ceo etc out into the into the world and let let the public assist in the vetting process. And I say that just to say that may be one thing to think about. Sometimes maybe the best advocate not only is you and who you know, but allowing those names to percolate in the community. A, sort of the transparency we talked about. B, you know, you may hear things that you otherwise wouldn't hear just by an interview.

Yeah.

Okay. That's right. Thank you.

Any other questions for staff? Seems like you got some positive feedback, got direction on some stuff. All right. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you. Perfect. Answer our questions. Yep. Okay. There are no first presentation items. We'll now move on to the public hearing. Will the city clerk please say on the items?

Mayor, that item is a public hearing in consideration of authorization to transmit the draft comprehensive plan update to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the Atlanta Regional Commission. It is agenda item number 26230, Principal Planner Shuba Jangum.

We're here with the draft comprehensive plan update prepared with extensive community input over the last seven months. Today we are presenting key highlights of the plan and request the Mayor and Council to approve the transmittal of this draft to Department of Community Affairs for review. the department of community affairs mainly reviews the framework of the plan and the process the public engagement process that we have documented and this review is required to step before the formal adoption we have published the draft plan on our project website and it will remain open for any public input This is a working draft and we will present the refined draft after revisions to the mayor and council before adoption before October. And today we are just seeking your approval to transfer the draft to DCA. We have prepared a brief presentation and I would like to invite John from Kimberley-Hung to go over the presentation.

GOOD TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN. I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE TOO MUCH TIME. WAS WITH YOU ALL LAST MONTH. GAVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A SNEAK PREVIEW BUT FOR FOLKS MAYBE WATCHING THE AUDIENCE OR WATCHING THIS ONLINE LATER WANT TO MAKE SURE TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW. AS SHUBA MENTIONED THIS IS THE SECOND OF THE TWO REQUIRED PUBLIC HEARINGS. DCAA MANY YEARS AGO DECIDED THEY NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT COMP PLANS WERE GOING THROUGH AN OPEN PROCESS, SO REQUIRED A PUBLIC HEARING IN THE BEGINNING JUST TO SAY, HEY, PUBLIC, WE'RE TAKING THE PROCESS OFF, AND A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING PRIOR TO YOUR ADOPTION, LETTING THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT WE'RE NEARING THE END OF THE PROCESS, THERE IS A DRAFT THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR YOU JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT COMMUNITIES ARE BEING TRANSPARENT. SO AGAIN, REQUIRED STEP HERE TONIGHT. SOME OF THESE ARE GOING TO BE SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU SAW LAST MONTH, BUT JUST AGAIN WANTED TO COVER A FEW OF THESE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS ARE AWARE. We'll talk briefly about the focus of this update, a little different than some of the other updates, the process we went through in the public engagement, a brief summary of the updates. I bet we actually summarized that a little more than last month. A couple of new items we didn't talk about last time, the report of accomplishments and the short-term work program, and then we'll cover next steps, and that'll be it. So again, as I mentioned before, this is building on the previous conference of plan. This is not starting from scratch. This is really kind of a midpoint temperature check. How are we doing? How's our progress? How well are we doing? Is there anything that we've missed? Has anything happened over the past five years that we need to consider and therefore adjust the plan? Affirming the priorities or identifying new priorities. As I mentioned, gauging implementation, identifying new implementation items, and ultimately updating that short-term work program. Here's just a simple image showing you the process we've gone through. Again, beginning in December and January, we started with the existing conditions and then kicking off our engagement in February, wrapping that up just recently for the public meeting here actually in this room. So lots of engagement that has taken place so far through this process. Quick summary just of all the engagement we've done so far. Subha mentioned there's a project website, meeting materials, draft materials, summaries after meetings have happened have been available online. The CPAC meetings were open to the public. They were also live streamed and the recordings and the summaries were posted online. You can see the first public hearing we had back in January when I was with you all several months ago now. The five CPAC meetings we held in this room in the public open house actually was with you all last month for a council briefing meeting. and then this second public hearing here. That's a little different because a lot of times when communities are doing more of a minor update, I would say they don't do this much engagement. Maybe they do a couple of moments just to kind of check what's going on, some internal vetting, some vetting of stakeholders, and then that's it. So this is actually a substantial amount of engagement that you'll have undertaken for what is more of a minor update. Just briefly, and this is a little bit for reference later, I really do not want to read every word on the screen, but what exactly went into this? So when you look at the first chunk, that's the existing conditions. So we did look at the plans that you all have updated since the last comp plan was incorporated. We've heard a lot about Deerfield tonight. That's an effort and a process that happened since the last comp plan was updated. Also work in the Mayfield area and the Arnhemill area. And so those have been incorporated. We did update some of the market and demographic analysis that was conducted in the last plan just to see have there been any changes in the market, any changes in our community that we need to reflect. And again, that might make us consider other activities or actions based on those changes. As far as the recommendations, again, a lot of this is focused on the main component of the comprehensive plan, which is that future land use map. So making sure this is up to date, making sure that those plans that we've undertaken over the last several years have been incorporated into that. Any suggestions from a land use standpoint have been incorporated into that. But also looking at economic development, we all now have a full-time staffer focused on that. So what new efforts and activities can we think about undertaking? Placemaking and branding. We talked a little bit the last time I was in front of you all about the success of Crabapple. And again, tonight I've been talking a lot about Deerfield. So how do we take the success here, the success in other areas of the city, and continue that in other places and actually citywide? The city's been very active in the transportation front, but obviously more work to do. And we heard a lot from folks as we went through the process on importance of trails, thinking about the context sensitivity of those trails, whether they be in one of the activity centers or one of the rural areas. Heard a lot about PTV, personal transportation safety as well, has been an ongoing thing. And so that was something that was actually new, was mentioned during the last panel, something we heard a lot as we went through the process. And then Milton's continued efforts in sustainability. I MENTIONED A COUPLE OF NEW ITEMS I DIDN'T GET INTO LAST TIME. ONE IS THE DCA REQUIRED REPORT OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THIS IS JUST A PIECE FOR US TO LOOK BACK AND SEE WHAT HAVE WE DONE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. HOW MANY OF THE ITEMS HAVE WE ACCOMPLISHED OR ACHIEVED? HOW MANY ARE STILL UNDERWAY OR ONGOING? MAYBE BECAUSE OF OUR PRIORITY SHIFTS WE NEED TO MOVE SOME ITEMS OFF THE LIST AND ADD SOME ITEMS IN PLACE OF THAT. YOU'LL SEE A TOTAL OF 99 PROJECTS LAST TIME. 53 IDENTIFIED AS COMPLETED. 44 STILL UNDERWAY. Canceled is a little bit of maybe direct language. That's DCA language that they use just to make it simple. But a lot of times that's either because of items were combined or shifts in priorities or funding sources. Now, all that feeds into the updated short-term work program. If I mentioned the future land use map is the core component, the short-term work program really is the to-do list, the thing that staff and the city will undertake over the next several years. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of everything you all are going to do, but really in the realm of comprehensive planning, what are the specific things we can accomplish in the next five years with the funding we have available? So things like your strategic plan will obviously identify other things that you all may want to do, other planning efforts you all may identify. There may be other wish lists that the city comes up with over the next several years. of other items that you want to look at. This is meant to be focused over the next five years with the funding that's assumed to be available. And just a quick snapshot of some of those. Again, I'm going to basically read the bold points here for you, but a lot about preserving rural character. So as we continue to see development happen, how do we maintain the design guidelines and encouragement we've had about rural view sheds or the rural character of some of the development, as well as the development within our character areas and when our activity center is not complementing, in fact, what's happening in some of the other areas as opposed to being counter to that. Expanding community destinations. We heard a lot about folks wanting more places for the community to gather, whether that be for things like recreation or other opportunities for folks to gather for other events that may be happening. Strengthen economic development. Again, you'll have full-time staff now to focus on that. How do we lean into that, especially in the Deerfield area, but in other areas as well? Improve connectivity. Probably goes without saying. Enhance Milton's identity. So again, taking that branding and identity that's been so successful here in this area, as well as in some of the other areas like Mayfield. It's not just about signage and welcome to Milton, but also the character of the developments that are happening and making sure those are in keeping and again, advancing sustainability. So several items related to that within the short-term work program. Shuba mentioned a little bit, this is kind of our next steps here. So again, what DCA and NARC want to do is see the plan before it's actually adopted, before it's actually finalized. They want to see it as it's still being worked on to make sure that the framework, that the outline, that the elements that we have match the minimum state requirements for a comprehensive plan. They don't really look at the specifics of the policies that are guiding development. That's really up for you all and for the city to be focused on that. But have we met those minimum standards? Have we checked all the boxes that they want to see? Have we done enough engagement in those items? This is also a great point now for the public to become more familiar, more comfortable with the plan as a draft is made available. It won't be adopted or scheduled for adoption, I should say, in October. So now is the time for council, for other committees and the public to be familiarized with the plan. review the changes that have taken place make other suggestions of what might be updated and then ultimately look at that and incorporate that in September with again scheduled adoption in October and I'll just mention October again that's the state deadline by October 31st when the city needs to have the updated adopted comprehensive plan so that's all I have for you all again here's a QR code and the link to the website for anybody again that may be watching this later or live and wants to take a look at that information including the draft plan that's posted there

Thank you. Do we have any public comment on this?

We do, Mayor. We have one to be read into the record due to not being able to be here out of the jurisdiction. This public comment to be read is Christy Hayes at 13585 Hopewell Road. The draft comprehensive plan update presented to council and available to the public on Milton's website is filled with typographical errors, duplicate wording, grammar mistakes, formatting issues, and general inconsistencies. For example, on page 44, owner-occupied housing is presented in a graphic as 72.4%. Two pages later, the number changes to 74.6%. Renter-occupied housing is identified as 27.6% on page 44 and 25.4% on page 46. In both graphics, the same source is cited. Considering this draft is to be submitted to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the Atlanta Regional Commission, This document is an embarrassment to the city of Milton, the volunteers who spent countless hours on the CPAC committee, and the taxpayers who ultimately paid for professional consultants to compile and present this information. A simple spell check would have caught most of the grammatical errors, and an editorial review is not too much to ask for professional consultants. We paid $55,000 to perform this function. The same consulting firm council just agreed to pay $49,200 to perform a bridge repair analysis for the Thompson Road Bridge. Most egregiously, as I previously commented to council, the comprehensive plan update presents a transportation philosophy conflict that is never addressed. Throughout the draft comprehensive plan update, Milton's need to preserve its rural character is repeatedly emphasized, yet the transportation recommendations advocate for expanded sidewalks, bicycle networks, transit coordination, enhanced pedestrian infrastructure, and regional connectivity. The document never reconciles how these urban-style mobility investments align with the established goal of preserving Milton's role character. The state purpose of this comprehensive plan is to guide Milton's approach to growth and preservation, but without addressing these conflicting policy objectives, the city's priorities cannot be aligned. This council should not accept this standard product with contradictory priorities. Mayor, that concludes the public comment for this item.

All right, thank you. Does the council have any questions?

Nope. Okay. I have a comment. Okay. Sorry.

Go for it. All those things bug me too, but in a conversation with Mr. Krokoff, if I can say this for the record, that this is a formality and that these things then get cleaned up in our process. Is that, I mean, what is the explanation why the editing and all of that doesn't happen before it goes?

Let me open by saying I agree with you. Okay. That nothing should be out there in the public realm with typos and things like that. That said, and I'll turn it over to the experts if I'm wrong, but today's public hearing is about sending this over to DCA and ARC to ensure that we've met the minimum requirements as outlined by the state. They're not so much focused on what our strategies, what our goals, objectives, or vision for the city is, but did we do what they've outlined as A, B, and C to ensure that we've created a complete and accurate update to our comprehensive plan. This really is the beginning of the public input period, all of the work that goes on, and we'll be in front of the council quite a bit over the next couple of months to ensure that the outcome is exactly aligned with this city's and council's vision.

Okay, because the contradictions about our character and those other things as mentioned is compelling. Okay. Well, thank you. As long as it's a performative thing. Thank you.

Okay. Any other council questions or discussion? Okay. With that, I'll open it for a motion.

Mayor, I make a motion to approve agenda item number 26-230. Second.

Okay, I have a motion from Council Member Haney and a second from Council Member Dolan to approve agenda item number 26-230. Please place your votes. Thank you. Okay, that motion passes unanimously. There are no zoning agenda, unfinished business, or new business items. Does council have anything to report on? All right, hearing none, I will have a motion to adjourn into executive session to discuss personnel and acquisition and litigation. Do I have a motion?

Motion to adjourn. Second.

Okay, I have a motion to adjourn from Council Member Jacobus into executive session. And a second from Dolan. All in favor, please place your votes.

Thank you. All right, that's unanimous. Thank you.

Second. Haney and Jacobus, all in favor? Aye. Motion to adjourn. Second. All in favor? Aye. Jacobus and Johnson. Appreciate y'all.

Have a good drive.