The City of Milton celebrated several of its finest employees -- as well as a milestone year that set it apart from governments nationwide – at a special team event last Friday evening.

Friday’s festivities marked the third consecutive year that Milton has bestowed Core Value Awards to outstanding team members. Nominated mostly by citizens along with City colleagues, these awards recognize individuals who have gone above-and-beyond for our community and their teams while embodying Milton’s five core values.

This year’s recipients are:

• POLICE LT. CHRISTOPHER BRADSHAW, who earned an award for “Service” for his display of kindness, patience, and humanity while supporting a family in the midst of a medical emergency

   

• LAND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER TRACIE WILDES, another “Service” recipient lauded by a citizen for being “friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, and capable of leading a meeting like a boss” while working through minor plat applications

   

• PARKS AND RECREATION SPECIALIST MICAELA BURKE, a third “Service” winner thanks to her inclusive, enthusiastic, creative, responsive efforts in running programs that contribute to Milton’s small-town feel

   

• HUMAN RESOURCES GENERALIST MONIQUE WILLIAMS, who stepped up big-time to meet City needs – making her a worthy “Ownership” honoree – with her can-do, upbeat attitude; stellar work ethic; and track record of producing results

   

• CITY ENGINEER SCOTT TKATCH, an “Ownership” recipient credited for being proactive, creative, and personable in turning a stormwater problem into a solution to the benefit of neighbors, a local builder, and the City

   

• ANDREW RICHARDS, now a Milton Police Officer even as his “Teamwork” award traced to his time as a Public Safety Ambassador when his attentiveness, initiative, and knowledge while on neighborhood patrol helped MPD break a road rage case

   

• FIRE MARSHAL AND DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF ALEX FORTNER, recognized in the “Rural Heritage” category for leading Milton’s expanded Community Risk Reduction effort such as electrical vehicle charger and barn safety evaluation programs

   

• OUTDOOR RECREATION SUPERVISOR JEN YOUNG, who three people nominated across multiple categories for her inspiring, enterprising, organized, engaging, community-minded efforts to expose young and old to the wonders of nature and Milton’s parks

   

• DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF CHRIS WARD, a “Leadership” award recipient for his successful recruiting as well as his honest, sincere, beneficial efforts to promote mental health among Milton Police and connect people with valuable resources

   

• DEPUTY CITY MANAGER STACY INGLIS, another “Leadership” winner recommended by two citizens for doing a “phenomenal job” helping run Milton’s 2023 municipal election as well as for being a public servant with an exemplary positive attitude, foresight, and dedication

Friday’s ceremony ended with Mayor Peyton Jamison earnestly thanking all City employees for their exceptional service and hard work on behalf of the Milton community.

If you’d like to nominate a City employee for the next cycle of Core Value Awards, you can do so at https://www.miltonga.gov/i-want-to/honor-a-city-employee.

BANNER: #1 IN SERVICE NATIONWIDE

These Core Value Awards were given out near the end of an informal ceremony that started with Community Outreach Manager Emily Salerno handing out light-hearted superlatives honors and sharing final tallies from the weeklong “Milton Olympics.” This team-building exercise featured competitions like pencil javelin, Lego building, Milton-themed trivia, paper airplane tosses, office chair curling, and more. (Kudos to the Public Works Department for running away from the field!)

City Manager Steve Krokoff then spoke, referring to the banner that the dozens of attendees passed under to enter the Community Center. It noted how, according to the National Community Survey (considered the gold standard for gauging how citizens feel about where they live and their local governments), the City of Milton ranked No. 1 out of 385 communities nationwide in the quality of service provided by government employees. Krokoff explained how this recognition reflects the utmost priority that the City’s employees – whether they’re a firefighter or a receptionist or a police officer or a planner – put on serving citizens, as well as the quality of the individuals who provide such service.

Communications Director Greg Botelho explained the statistical science behind the National Community Survey and how it can provide valuable perspective to show how a place, such as Milton, is improving or digressing, as well as how it compares with other cities and governments.

In the latest version, Milton scored in the 97^th percentile or higher in most quality of life measures such as image/reputation (2^nd out of 383 communities), cleanliness and overall appearance, as a place to live (3^rd out of 390), and if the respondent would recommend living here (2^nd out of 337).

Milton’s City government, specifically, ranked in the top 4% (and, in most cases, much better than that) of local governments across the country on measures such as:

• Being open and transparent (up 16 percentiles)
• Confidence in City government (up 8 percentiles)
• Value of services for taxes paid (up 14 percentiles)
• Quality of services provided (up 13 percentiles)
• Informing residents about issues (up 22 percentiles)
• Welcoming resident involvement (up 19 percentiles)
• Treating all residents fairly (up 19 percentiles, with a rank of 2^nd out of 330 communities)

For more about Milton’s National Community Survey results, go to www.miltonga.gov/NCS.