Milton’s Mayor and Councilmembers offered direction Monday on the fee schedule for impact fees – which are collected on new developments – specifying when they thought amended fees should go into effect and at what rates.

No official votes were or could be taken, as this was the first of two State-required public hearings before an updated ordinance on this matter could be adopted. Yet City leaders can, and did, share their thoughts Monday on what should be in that ordinance.

Local governments, like the City of Milton, collect impact fees from those creating developments to help pay for upgrades to bridges, roads, parks, and City buildings. The State of Georgia regulates this process with annual reviews by the Atlanta Regional Commission and the State’s Department of Community Affairs.

Paige Hatley, from the City’s partner at Ross+Associates, presented Monday to the Council on this process as well as proposed changes for Milton. These include text amendments to clarify parts of an ordinance that is about a decade old, she explained.

Much of the discussion centered around the Impact Fee Schedule, which details rates for the City’s collections based on land use types (and accounting for criteria like square footage and number of structures). Hatley shared a proposed Maximum Impact Fee Schedule, noting that the State says a local government can adopt those maximum fees or opt for lower rates.

Mayor Peyton Jamison suggested the Council stick to the maximum, an assertion supported by Councilmembers.

He also proposed – and got similar affirmation from Councilmembers – that the new impact fee schedule go into effect until January 1 (rather than an earlier option of October 1, which is the start of the fiscal year).

Such feedback can inform the version of the Impact Fee Ordinance that the Council can vote on during its August 5 meeting.

CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT OK’D FOR MCPP’s NEXT PHASE

This discussion came at the end of a meeting that began with an invocation by Pastor Billy Lowe of City Church, followed by roll call with Mayor Jamison and Councilmembers Phil Cranmer, Doug Hene, and Jan Jacobus present at City Hall.

The Council then unanimously passed (without discussion) all items on the meeting’s Consent Agenda, one of them being a construction services agreement with Tri Scapes for the next phase of work at Milton City Park and Preserve. This will feature upgrades and additions within 79 acres of what’s known as the North Woods such as new trails, stormwater/drainage improvements, and dedicated wildlife habitats. For more information on this project, check out https://cleargov.com/georgia/fulton/city/milton/projects/10563/milton-city-park-and-preserve-passive-park-phase-2-gosp.

The approved Consent Agenda also included City agreements with:

• Premier Events to partner with the City of Milton on logistics, vendor support, and general assistance related to Crabapple Fest (which will be held this year on October 5)
• Tri Scapes to maintain three adjacent properties totaling about 7 acres on Bethany Bend (next to North Park) including routine mowing, trimming, and edging driveways/sidewalks
• Ross+Associates to extend the timeline – at no additional cost to the City – for its work on Milton’s Impact Fee program amendment
• Evergreen Associates to add an assessment of benefits into the scope of its work for the City’s classification and compensation study

CHANGES TO SOME LONG-TERM EXPENDITURE FORECASTS

The only other substantive item Monday focused on long-term City government expenditures.

This was the fourth budget presentation this year by Deputy City Manager Bernadette Harvill, each one with a different focus. This process should culminate with the Council’s adoption of a Fiscal Year 2025 budget (which runs from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 20250) on September 16. Before then, the Council will vote on the millage rate that will affect the amount of revenue the City brings in – and thus what’s available to spend.

Monday’s presentation started with a five-year forecast for City operating expenditures. Harvill also walked the City Council through seven-year projections for “pay-go” expenditures for certain public improvements. Every year, the City makes such long-term projections; Harvill talked mostly Monday about what had changed between the 2023 and 2024 forecasts.

These included inflationary increases in new vehicle costs; $75,000 more requested by Milton Fire-Rescue for an advanced life support line; and $250,000 for a water line to Milton’s Public Works yard situated between Fire Station 43 and Birmingham Park.

The Deputy City Manager plans to offer a more comprehensive FY 2025 budget presentation at the Council’s August 12 meeting. In the meantime, the Council will meet again on August 5.