Milton’s budget picture for next fiscal year should come into clearer focus on Monday, including presentations and discussions on the City’s millage rate at two Council meetings.

The City will hold three “Public Hearings” annually related to its millage rate, which impacts what people pay in property taxes. This year – just like in the past – one of these will occur at a morning “Special Called Meeting,” in this case starting at 9 a.m. on August 4 in City Hall’s Council Chambers. Citizens can attend in person or watch the meeting online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PepuCMZ-YCk.

Both items on that morning meeting’s agenda relate to the “ad valorem tax rate for the City of Milton for Fiscal Year 2026,” which will run from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. One falls under “First Presentation,” which offers people an initial opportunity to review the item though it cannot be voted on conclusively until a future Council meeting. The other item falls under the “Public Hearing” portion of the agenda, which will feature a presentation and special opportunity for citizens to weigh in on this matter.

The Council will end that meeting that morning, then reconvene at 6 p.m. that same Monday for a Regular Meeting. That’s also open to all attendees at Council Chambers, or people can watch it online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adXamY4dKkg.

The evening meeting’s agenda includes these sections with the corresponding ground rules:

• The CONSENT AGENDA, which is for routine items that the Council considers collectively (so a single vote that covers all items)
• REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS, the home for proclamations and presentations during which the Council can offer feedback but cannot take binding votes
• FIRST PRESENTATION, for items on a Council agenda the first time that cannot be voted on until a future meeting
• PUBLIC HEARING, which offers special opportunities for public comment for certain types of items
• ZONING AGENDA, the place for zoning-related items that appeared on past agendas that can now be voted on decisively
• NEW BUSINESS, where you’ll find items on a Council agenda for the first time that can be decisively voted upon

Below are summaries of every item on the August 4 Regular Meeting agenda.

• Approval of the July 21, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting Minutes.

  This is to approve the “minutes,” or official written record, from the Council’s last Regular Meeting on July 21. At this meeting, elected officials got their first look at proposals for the City’s next budget including potentially adding two more school liaison officers and bringing two currently outsourced IT professionals in-house. The Council also formalized the preservation of roughly 39 acres off Hopewell Road as a City greenspace by transferring $4.9 million from Milton’s Greenspace Bond Fund to its Capital Projects Fund. For a full recap of this meeting, click HERE: https://www.miltonga.gov/Home/Components/News/News/3079/1351.

   

• Approval of the Financial Statements and Investment Report for the Period Ending June 30, 2025.

The Council will vote on approving the City of Milton government’s financial statements and investment report from this past June.

• Approval of a Services Agreement between the City of Milton and Bounce House Inflatables of Atlanta LLC, dba Bounce House Atlanta Regarding Children’s Activities for the City’s Annual Touch-a-Truck Event.

  With approval of this agreement, Bounce House Inflatables of Atlanta will provide a bounce house, toddler playland, slide, obstacle course, and an 8-player game – all of them inflatable – for the City’s popular Touch-a-Truck event on Saturday, September 6. The company also will have staffing on-site to ensure safety, fairness, and efficiency.

   

• Approval of an Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Milton and Fulton County for Water Line Relocation on the Crabapple Road/SR 372 Multiuse Trail Project.

  The City plans to construct a multi-use trail along Green Road and Crabapple Road/State Route 372 in southern Milton – and, to make that happen, a Fulton County water line must be relocated. With this Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Fulton County, the City will be reimbursed for the new installations, adjustments, and relocations of the water line.

   

• Approval of a Professional Services Agreement between the City of Milton and PECGA LLC dba Palmer Engineering Company for a Structural Condition Assessment of the Historic McConnell-Chadwick House.

  The McConnell-Chadwick House dates to the late 1830s, when it was built along what’s now Arnold Mill Road for Eli McConnell – a Brigadier General, State Senator, and the governor’s designee to sell former Cherokee property. The one-story, Greek revival cottage home with a brick chimney and clapboard siding is one of the oldest still standing structures in our region. Late last year, the Council accepted Larry Chadwick’s generous donation of this property to the City.

  This item refers to a professional services agreement with Palmer Engineering to assess the house’s structural integrity. Palmer’s experts would also develop plans for necessary stabilization that can serve as the basis for procuring a contractor to complete needed immediate repairs and support future grant opportunities.

   

• Approval of Subdivision Plats & Revisions.

  

  These subdivision revisions, if approved, would:

  + Revise the plat for 14507 Cogburn Road after part of that parcel was added to the Lyndon Creek subdivision

  + Alter the composition of two tracts along New Providence Road, one being 10.909 acres (after a 1-acre addition) and the other being 5.120 acres

   

  REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS

• Comprehensive Summer Internship Final Projects Presentation.

  Maddie Flores and Luke Netto – both University of Georgia students with Milton roots – have spent the last 10 weeks as the City’s Comprehensive Summer Interns. With their unique combination of enthusiasm, expertise, and a remarkable work ethic, Maddie and Luke have made many significant impacts while, at the same time, learning about all aspects of the City’s operations.

  On Monday night, the pair will present to the City Council about their experiences as well as several of their projects. The projects range from an upgraded online tracking system of progress achieving Strategic Plan goals to helping organize Milton’s Independence Day festivities to facilitating more outreach to HOAs.

   

   

• FY 2026 Budget Discussion and Feedback.

  At the last Council meeting, City staff offered an overview of the process to create the Fiscal Year 2026 budget (which runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026) as well as detailed new proposed operating initiatives and capital requests. This August 4 item is a continuation of the discussion on the same FY 2026 budget, albeit with a slightly different focus.

  Deputy City Manager Bernadette Harvill will share a five-year operating forecast of the City finances as they relate to both revenues and expenditures. She also will welcome Council feedback going forward, just like she did at the previous meeting and will at a future one. The Council will not vote on adopting the City’s next budget until mid-September.

   

   

  FIRST PRESENTATION

• Consideration of an Ordinance of The City of Milton Modifying Chapter 4 of the Code of the City of Milton to Amend the Dates Related to License Renewals, Eliminate the Limited Food Service Restaurant License, and Amend the Hours of Sale for Microbreweries and Microdistilleries.

  This ordinance would make modest adjustments to Chapter 4 of the City’s alcohol code aimed at improving administrative efficiency, streamlining licensing classifications, and better aligning operating hours with community expectations. They involve changing the alcohol license renewal deadline (from November 15) to October 31; eliminating the Limited Food Services Restaurant alcohol license type that has already been closed to new applicants; and allowing microbreweries and microdistilleries to sell alcohol until midnight (rather than the current 10 p.m.)

  Since this is under First Presentation, the Council cannot decisively vote on approving these modifications until a future meeting.

   

   

  PUBLIC HEARING

• Consideration of an Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of Milton, Georgia, to Establish the Ad Valorem Tax Rate of the City of Milton for Fiscal Year 2026; and for Other Purposes.

  Every year, an ordinance must be adopted to establish the City of Milton's ad valorem tax rate (also known as its millage rate) for its next fiscal year. Milton levies property taxes based on a property's assessed value (as determined by Fulton County) -- by law, this is established at 40% of its fair market value -- and the millage rate, though some exemptions apply. Property taxes are the City of Milton's largest revenue source.

  The City of Milton will hold public hearings, which offer special opportunities for citizens to comment, annually before the City Council sets the millage rate for the coming year. This item refers to the second public hearing (out of three) in that process for Fiscal Year 2026, which will run from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. People can view this millage rate presentation by clicking HERE: https://www.miltonga.gov/home/showdocument?id=8579.

   

   

  ZONING AGENDA

• Consideration of U25-02 - 14505 Batesville Road by LRF Milton, LLC to request a Use Permit for Rural Event Facility (Sec. 8.7.1.H of the UDC) on 35.87 Acres (reduction from previously approved U14-02/ZM17-01) Within a 6,539 sq. ft. House, 4,296 sq. ft. Atrium Structure, 4,760 sq. ft. Existing Building and Two Gazebos for a Maximum of 250 Attendees.
• Consideration of an Ordinance for the Rescission of an Existing Use Permit for a “Rural Event Facility” located at 14505 Batesville Road.
• Consideration of an Ordinance for the Rescission of an Existing Use Permit for a “Bed and Breakfast” located at 14505 Batesville Road.

All three Zoning Agenda items refer to Little River Farms located at 14505 Batesville Road. This business has existing Use Permits for a “Rural Event Facility” and “Bed and Breakfast.” If these items are approved, those existing Use Permits would be rescinded and replaced by a new Use Permit. Nothing substantive, though, would change in terms of what’s allowed, when, etc. would change. The only notable alteration, as requested by Little River Farms’ owner, is decreasing the official overall size of the property from 47.7 to 35.87 acres.

These items were on the Council’s July 21 agenda under First Presentation. Because of that, these can be conclusively voted upon at Monday’s meeting.

• Consideration of an Intergovernmental Agreement for the Provision of Election Services between Fulton County and the City of Milton for the November 4, 2025, General Municipal Election.

This is an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for Fulton County to run Milton’s upcoming municipal general election at no cost to the City. The Advance Voting period for this election will be from October 14 to October 31, with Election Day happening on November 4. If a run-off is needed for Milton’s municipal election, the City would be responsible for covering its pro-rate share of costs.