City Council accepted the donation of property containing one of Milton’s most historic houses on Monday, during the same meeting in which it approved a new budget that included $220,000 to help restore that structure’s exterior. 

Situated on what’s now Arnold Mill Road, the McConnell-Chadwick House dates to the late 1830s. It was built for Eli McConnell – a Brigadier General, State Senator (a role in which he proposed the creation of Milton County), owner of our area’s first flour mill, and designee by Gov. George Troup to sell former Cherokee property after the forced exodus of that Native American tribe’s members.

McConnell’s one-story, Greek revival cottage home with its brick chimney and clapboard siding, along with a nearby wellhouse and the surrounding property have been owned over the years by the Arnold, Chamblee, and Chadwick families. Last year, Larry Chadwick offered to donate the house and accompanying land to the City.

“He could have done many other things,” an appreciative Mayor Peyton Jamison said Monday, noting Chadwick would have profited by selling to a developer. “Instead, he wants to preserve Milton’s history. And … we do as well.”

The City Council vote to accept the donation of the property in “as is” condition was unanimous. So, too, was the overall Fiscal Year 2025 budget (which runs from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025) that included the exterior renovation allocation.

Public Works Director Sara Leaders said Monday that, aside from approximately $30,000 to quickly stop water intrusion, the City doesn’t plan to spend all those renovation funds immediately. Rather, it will partner with the Milton Historical Society in seeking grants to offset expenses – potentially tackling the project “in pieces.”

MORRIS ROAD WIDENING, LAKHAPANI DAM CONTRACTS APPROVED

Monday’s meeting began with approval of the Consent Agenda, which included agreements with:

• Meer Electrical Contractors to provide on-call electricians to address time-sensitive issues affecting City facilities, parking areas, grounds, buildings, and other locales
• JOC Construction for work on the Lackey Dam, which contains a 2-acre pond on the City’s Lakhapani Preserve greenspace -- including removing trees, stabilizing the downstream slope, and repairing the dam’s primary outfall
• Wilson Construction on two projects – 1) widening Morris Road from the Webb Road roundabout to McGinnis Ferry Road and 2) making minor modifications to the Bethany Bend-Bethany Creek Drive roundabout, adding a stone façade to a concrete wall, and partially removing a concrete center island to allow for additional landscaping
• Sawnee EMC to move its utilities along Morris Road so that they don’t end up under the new pavement and travel lane as part of the Morris Road widening project
• MXI Environmental Services to work with the City collecting, handling, packing, transporting, and disposing of – by recycling, reusing, or treating – household hazardous waste
• SiteMed to implement a comprehensive three-year medical and fitness evaluation program for members of the Milton Fire-Rescue Department
• Reliable Onsite Services to provide two restroom trailers and a water supply – as well as associated delivery, set-up, and staffing – for public use during Crabapple Fest
• YTT Collective to partner with Milton’s Parks and Recreation Department in leading yoga classes at City facilities

CITY FINANCE, HR, IT TEAMS HONORED

Mayor Jamison then read proclamations recognizing three largely behind-the-scenes groups that are crucial to the City’s successful operations.

Ahead of IT Professionals Day (which is September 17), those on Milton’s own IT team were lauded for their “ingenuity, intelligence, and work ethic” as they “tackle problems, devise solutions, and produce positive results on a daily basis.”

On a night when the budget took center stage, Milton’s finance professionals earned plaudits as “unsung heroes [who] work diligently … to ensure that every single dollar is accounted for and every financial process is followed correctly.” As part of this team’s proclamation, Milton recognized September 23 through 27 as Finance and Accounting Appreciation Week.

The City’s standout Human Resources duo, meanwhile, was commended (ahead of Human Resources Professional Day on September 26) for “bringing in excellent employees, managing programs that serve them, and fostering a positive, productive work environment.”

The Mayor credited the three groups for helping things run “seamlessly” in the City of Milton in many ways, adding, “We appreciate their hard work and effort.”

FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET APPROVED

Deputy City Manager Bernadette Harvill spoke several times Monday night, as she has done over the last few months, about the City’s budget. Focused workshops related to the Fiscal Year 2025 budget began in June, with more comprehensive presentations in more recent weeks. Her latest one can be viewed at https://www.miltonga.gov/home/showdocument?id=7771.

Harvill gave a high-level overview of the draft budget on Monday. Once again, she touched on projected revenues and proposed expenditures across various government funds.

The FY25 budget that the Council ultimately approved projects to have slightly more in revenues ($47.3 million) than expenditures ($46.9 million), with an expected ending fund balance of over $12.3 million “in line with our required reserve policy,” Harvill said.

New initiatives as part of this budget include hiring a Payroll and Benefits Analyst and Special Investigations Detective. Some newcomers – such as a Parks Manager and 11 full-time firefighters to work out of the new Station 45 – aren’t set to start before July.

CITY ACCEPTS $500K GRANT FOR MCPP PROJECT

The Council on Monday also officially accepted a $500,000 grant to significantly offset the expected $1.38 million cost of improvements in Milton City Park and Preserve’s active area.

Parks and Recreation Director Tom McKlveen explained this project will feature six tennis courts (two more than currently), special seating at that tennis center, a reconfigured parking lot with more spaces, LED lighting for the lot and courts, plus a playground.

The City began pursuing the grant in May 2023, receiving final approval recently from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and federal National Park Service.

“Congratulations on getting the grant,” Councilmember Phil Cranmer said. “It’s a big deal.”

Under the terms of the grant, the project must be completed by December 31, 2026.

LAND IN CRABAPPLE DONATED TO THE CITY

In other developments, the Council voted to accept a land donation (different than the McConnell-Chadwick House) – this one in downtown Crabapple.

Adair Park Homes will give the City the area west and north of Heritage Walk around 12780 Lecoma Trace. In return, the City will install a new speed table/crosswalk along Heritage Walk.

Then, for the second straight Regular Meeting, the Council voted to authorize the condemnation of small amounts of property needed for the Big Creek Greenway Connection project to proceed. This one related to part of a lot along Cogburn Road that contains a single-family home.

None of the four condemnation resolutions approved at the September 4 Council meeting were filed in court, as the property owners and City agreed upon acquisition prices before that was necessary – “good news” for all involved, the Mayor said.

Engineering Project Manager Rob Dell-Ross said Monday, “We are optimistic that we will be able to agree to terms” on the Cogburn Road property as well.

The meeting’s final approved item was an Occupational Tax Abasement for qualifying businesses in the Deerfield/Highway 9 area. This is not an exemption for occupational taxes (which are commonly associated with business licenses) but rather a reduction in overall costs using different methodology.

Finance Director Karen Ellis noted this measure will aim to improve the current 46% commercial vacancy rate and generally spur economic development in that area. City Attorney Ken Jarrard said Milton, in approving this measure, is “in good company” among local governments striving to draw business to their communities.

The City Council’s next scheduled meeting is on October 7.