City Council is set to vote Monday on potentially lowering the speed limits of three Milton roads, among other matters.

The August 19 meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in City Hall’s Council Chambers. People can attend in person or watch online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh153PE47lE.

As is customary, this Regular Meeting is split into distinct sections that each have their ground rules. They are:

• The CONSENT AGENDA, consisting of routine items that the Council votes on collectively (so one yes-no vote covering all items)
• REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS, which is where you’ll find proclamations, presentations, and other items that – while Council can offer direction – don’t come with binding votes
• FIRST PRESENTATION, the place for specific kinds of items appearing for the first time on a Council agenda that cannot be voted on conclusively until a future meeting
• PUBLIC HEARING, which includes a special public comment period for certain types of items
• NEW BUSINESS, the home for items on a Council agenda for the first time that can be discussed and then decisively voted upon

Below are summaries of every item on Monday’s agenda.

• Approval of the August 12, 2024, Work Session Meeting Minutes.

  The Council will vote on approving the “minutes” – or official written record – from its most recent meeting on August 12. During that Work Session, the Council gave direction on what enhancements should be made to three local bridges that GDOT soon will upgrade and discussed a Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal. To watch this meeting, click HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8hLG4-8yw4.

   

• Approval of the August 12, 2024, Special Called Meeting Minutes.

This Special Called Meeting immediately followed the Work Session last Monday. During it, the Council voted to maintain the City’s current maintenance and operating millage rate of 4.389 plus a .356 greenspace bond rate. For a recap of this meeting and the aforementioned Work Session, follow this link: https://www.miltonga.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2534/1351.

• Approval of a Services Agreement between the City of Milton and Kulamer Home Services, Inc. dba CertaPro Painters of Alpharetta and Kennesaw to Provide Repainting of Bell Memorial Park’s Buildings & Accessories and the Front Porch of Bethwell Community Center.

With approval of this item, CertaPro Painters will paint the outsides of four buildings, football goalposts, baseball field and batting care foul poles, handrails, and scoreboard posts at Bell Memorial Park. The same company would also paint Bethwell Community Center’s front porch.

• Approval of an Easement to Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation for the Relocation of Power Lines on the Station 45 Property at 13801 Birmingham Hwy.

  The City of Milton soon will build Fire Station 45 on a City-owned parcel along the Birmingham Highway/Providence Road roundabout. (You can learn more about this project at: https://cleargov.com/georgia/fulton/city/milton/projects/10802/fire-station-45.) This easement will allow Sawnee workers to relocate and reconfigure power lines in that area so the construction can proceed.

   

• Approval of a Professional Services Agreement between the City of Milton and UES Professional Solutions 18, LLC for an Asbestos Survey for House Demolition at 2545 Bethany Bend and 990 Lackey Road.

  The City is looking to demolish houses in Lakhapani Preserve and in a City-owned property at 2545 Bethany Bend (which borders North Park). This agreement is for UES Professional Solutions experts to conduct an asbestos survey prior to bidding both buildings’ demolitions.

   

• Approval of a Modification to the Blanket Right of Way Acquisition Approval for the Birmingham Road Middle Bridge Project.

  Last February, the Council approved funding to acquire right-of-way for the replacement of middle of three bridges along Birmingham Road – specifically one spanning a Chicken Creek territory just west of Henderson Road and flanking the Hampton Manor subdivision. Since then, plans for the project have changed leading to this proposed modification of the blanket right-of-way acquisition total. Approval of this measure will allow the City to close on parcels related to this project that do no exceed the fair market value+ negotiated value. For more about this TSPLOST-funded project, click HERE: https://cleargov.com/georgia/fulton/city/milton/projects/1217/birmingham-road-middle-bridge-_-tsplost.

   

• Approval of a Vendor Storage Agreement Between the City of Milton and the Milton Arts Council, to Permit the Milton Arts Council to Store Materials and Equipment Inside the Milton City Park and Preserve Community Center.

  The Milton Arts Council (MAC) is a local non-profit dedicated to supporting and sharing benefits of the arts in our community. With approval of this item, the City of Milton will allow MAC to store house props and materials for its productions in the Milton City Park and Preserve Community Center’s basement at no cost to that organization.

   

• Approval of Subdivision Plats and Revisions.

  The Council will vote on approving a minor plat for The Enclave, a small large-lot subdivision set to be built off 15036 Freemanville Road (south of Deerhaven Lane). The neighborhood’s five lots will range in size from 3.10 to 5.12 acres.

   

   

   

  REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS

• Proclamation Recognizing the Cambridge Youth Track Team.

  Three local families formed the Cambridge Youth Track Team three years ago to give children the opportunity to develop as athletes and people. The Milton-based program has thrived since then with scores of team members – some of whom qualified for the Junior Olympics and rank among the best in their age groups. On Monday, the City Council will recognize the Cambridge Youth Track Team for their goals, growth, and accomplishments.

   

• Proclamation Recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

  About 47 children are diagnosed daily with cancer in the United States – a momentous revelation that leads to months of struggle, sacrifice, and extreme emotions. This proclamation will recognize September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to show the City of Milton’s solidarity with those children, and their families, battling this disease.

   

• Deerfield Implementation Plan Update Discussion.

The City is working on a Deerfield Implementation Plan to guide the look, feel, and future of an area that encompasses the Milton segments of Highway 9, Windward Parkway, Deerfield Parkway, Morris Road, and other places in that vicinity. This effort will involve extensive outreach including with key stakeholders (such as HOA leaders, business owners, and developers) and the community at large.

On Monday, project team members will update the City Council on this dynamic project’s progress. This includes the creation of a dedicated webpage (www.miltonga.gov/Deerfield), the collection of the first of questions and suggestions from residents, and a Public Kickoff community event starting at 3 p.m. on  August 25 at Milton Municipal Court (13690 Highway 9).  

• Consideration of RZ24-02/U24-01/VC24-01 - 3499 and 3501 Bethany Bend by Sapient Minds LLC d/b/a Milton Montessori School to rezone from TR (Townhouse Residential) with the revocation of a “Senior Living” Use Permit to O-I (Office-Institutional) with a “Private School” Use Permit (Milton Unified Development Code 8.4.1.G) of 24,000 square feet with a total of 160 students and associated activity (outdoor) areas with a three part concurrent variance.                1.  To delete the 20' side setback along the south property line for 3501 Bethany Bend. (Milton Unified Development Code 5.1.4.B) 2.  To delete the 10' landscape strip along the south property line of 3501 Bethany Bend. (Milton Unified Development Code 6.2.3.B) 3.  To reduce the sidewalk width along Bethany Bend, within the City Right-of-Way from six feet to five feet. (Milton Unified Development Code 6.2.6.A)                                                                                                                  (Agenda Item No. 24-244)

  This item, if approved, would rezone 3501 and 3499 Bethany Bend near McGinnis Ferry Road from TR (Townhouse Residential) with a Senior Living Use Permit to O-I (Office-Institutional). The applicant is seeking a Use Permit for “Private School” involving the addition of a 24,000-square foot building for an existing private school, Milton Montessori, for approximately 160 students. It comes with a requested three-part concurrent variance to:

   

  + Delete the 20-foot side setback along the south property of 3501 Bethany Bend

  + Delete the 10-foot landscape strip along the south property line of 3501 Bethany Bend

  + Reduce the sidewalk width along Bethany Bend, within the City right-of-way, from six to five feet

   

  PUBLIC HEARING

• Consideration of a Resolution Authorizing the Transmittal of a Draft 2024 Capital Improvements Element (CIE) Annual Update Relating to the City’s Impact Fee Program to the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) for Regional and State Review.

  The State requires that city governments like Milton adopt a Capital Improvement Element (CIE) Annual Update in order to collect impact fees. Impact fees are taken in from those creating new developments to help pay for upgrades to bridges, roads, parks, and government buildings.

  As in previous years, Milton’s upcoming version is being prepared in partnership with the City's impact fee consultant, ROSS+associates. The update reflects data related to the City’s Impact Fee program for Fiscal Year 2023, which ran from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023. This particular item is a “Public Hearing” on this matter, giving citizens the opportunity to weigh in on CIE Annual Update before the Council can vote on its transmittal.

   

   

  NEW BUSINESS

• Consideration of a Resolution to Establish Maximum Speed Limits on Designated Roadways.

  Milton’s Local Road Safety Plan (which you can learn more about at www.miltonga.gov/RoadSafety) recommended a citywide assessment on speed limits and, where it made sense, taking action to reduce such limits in specific locations. Speed limit reductions on Milton roads must be approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation and, after that happens, included on the radar permit (so the new limits can be enforced).

  Last July, the City Council approved speed limit reductions on four Milton roads after going through this process. Monday’s item, if approved, would reduce the speed limits from 45 mph down to 40 mph on these three roads:

  + Batesville Road

  + Hamby Road

  + Hickory Flat Road

   

• Consideration of a Resolution Authorizing the Transmittal of a Draft 2024 Capital Improvements Element (CIE) Annual Update Relating to the City’s Impact Fee Program to the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) for Regional and State Review.

  This refers to the 2024 Capital Improvements Element (CIE) Annual Update described above under “Public Hearing.”  With approval of this resolution, this document will be transmitted for State (specifically, by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs) and regional (by the Atlanta Regional Commission) review. Once those reviews are complete (likely this fall), the Council can vote on adopting a final CIE annual update.

   

• Approval of a Stream Credit Purchase from Georgia-Alabama Land Trust, Inc. for the Morris Road Widening Project. (Agenda Item No. 24-247) (Sara Leaders, Public Works Director)
• Approval of a Wetland Credit Purchase from Soque River Conservation, LLC for the Morris Road Widening Project.

The two items directly above both relate to an ongoing project that includes widening Morris Road to connect to the McGinnis Ferry Interchange and as part of connecting Milton residents (starting around Cambridge High School) to the Big Creek Greenway. The widening and multi-use trail components of the project will impact 0.04 acres (109 linear feet) of stream and 0.03 acres of wetlands. Federal regulations require that, whenever resources are affected in such a way, “credits” must be purchased to help offset the environmental impact.

Approval of these Council items would pave the way for Milton to purchase such credits from two non-profit groups – Soque River Conservation and the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust.