HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes CC - 10/07/2019 - Regular Meeting Minutes1
1
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 1 of 21
This summary is provided as a convenience and service to the public, media, and staff. It
is not the intent to transcribe proceedings verbatim. Any reproduction of this summary
must include this notice. Public comments are noted and heard by Council, but not
quoted. This document includes limited presentation by Council and invited speakers in
summary form. This is an official record of the Milton City Council Meeting
proceedings. Official Meetings are audio and video recorded.
The Regular Meeting of the Mayor and Council of the City of Milton was held on
October 7, 2019 at 6:00 PM, Mayor Joe Lockwood presiding.
Mayor Lockwood:
INVOCATION
Pastor Jerry Dockery
Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Milton City Hall. We're
glad you're here. Before we get started, I'd like to ask Reverend
Jerry Dockery to lead us in an invocation. He's from Crabapple
First Baptist Church.
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Joe Lockwood called the meeting to order.
Mayor Lockwood: Thank you very much. So, I'd like to call the regular meeting of
the Milton City Council for Monday, October 7th, 2019 to order.
The city strongly recommends that you review tonight's agenda
carefully, and if you wish to speak on any item on the agenda,
please bring your comment cards to the clerk as soon as possible.
While the Milton rules allow for a speaker to turn in their comment
card up to the time that the clerk calls the agenda item, once the
agenda item is called, no more comment cards will be accepted.
Would the city clerk please call the roll and make announcements?
City Clerk: Good evening, mayor and council. I'll be happy to call roll for the
October 7th, 2019 regular meeting. I would like to remind those in
attendance to please silence all cell phones at this time. Those
attending the meeting who would like to make a public comment,
you're required to complete a public comment card prior to
speaking on the item. Your comment card must be presented to the
city clerk prior to the agenda item being called.
All speakers must please identify yourself by name, address, and
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council 2
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 2 of 21
organization before beginning your comment. If you're
representing an organization, an affidavit is required stating you
have the authority to speak on behalf of that organization. Please
review tonight's agenda, and if you would like to make a
comment, please bring your comment card to me now.
Demonstration of any sort within the chamber is prohibited. Please
refrain from emitting applause, cheering, booing, outbursts, or
dialogue with any person speaking. Anyone in violation will be
asked to leave. As I call roll this evening, please confirm your
attendance. Mayor Joe Lockwood?
Mayor Lockwood: Here.
City Clerk: Councilmember Payton Jamison?
Mr. Jamison: Here.
City Clerk: Councilmember Matt Kunz?
Mr. Kunz: Here.
City Clerk: Councilmember Laura Bentley?
Ms. Bentley: Here.
City Clerk: Councilmember Carol Cookerly?
Ms. Cookerly: Here.
City Clerk: Councilmember Joe Longoria?
Mr. Longoria: Here.
City Clerk: For the record, Councilmember Rick Mohrig is absent. Would
everyone please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance?
ROLL CALL
Councilmembers Present: Councilmember Jamison, Councilmember Kunz,
Councilmember Bentley, Councilmember Cookerly and Councilmember Longoria.
Councilmembers Absent: Councilmember Rick Mohrig.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE (Led by Mayor Joe Lockwood)
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council 3
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 3 of 21
All: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and
to the republic for which it stands: One nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Mayor Lockwood: I wanna thank you for being here and welcome you here tonight,
and a special warm welcome to the Hopewell Mustangs. Thank
you guys for being here. So, if you could please sound the next
item, Stacy.
APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA
(Agenda Item No. 19-218)
City Clerk: Next item is approval of the meeting agenda.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. I would like to add an executive session to discuss land
acquisition. Anything else? If not, I'll open up for a motion.
Mr. Kunz: I'll make a motion that we approve the meeting agenda with the
addition of an executive session to discuss land acquisition.
Ms. Bentley: Second.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. I have a motion from Councilmember Kunz, and I believe
Councilmember Longoria seconded that for approval. All in favor,
please say "Aye."
All: Aye.
Motion and Vote: Councilmember Kunz moved to approve the Meeting Agenda with
the following amendment: "Add an Executive Session to discuss Land Acquisition".
Councilmember Longoria seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0).
Councilmember Mohrig was absent from the meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT (General)
Mayor Lockwood: That's unanimous. Okay, Stacy, do we have any general public
comments?
City Clerk: I do not have any general public comments.
1
Lj
1
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 4 of 21
0
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. Then, let's move on to the consent agenda. If you would
please read those items.
CONSENT AGENDA
Approval of a Task Order between the City of Milton and BM&K,
P.C. to Provide Construction Inspection Services for Land
Development Activities (Part -Time Land Development Inspector).
(Agenda Item No. 19-219)
(Parag Agrawol, Community Development Director)
2. Approval of Subdivision Plats:
Name of Development /
Location
Action
Comments / #
lots
Total
Acres
Density
1. The Milam Group, LLC
LL 481, 527, & 528
Minor
Reconfigure 2
0.78 Lots /
1530 Dinsmore & 15295
Plat
existing lots
2.54
acre
Freemanville
(Agenda Item No. 19-220)
(Parag Agrawal, Community Development Director)
City Clerk: Okay. The first item on the consent is the approval of a task order
between the City of Milton and BM&K, P.C. to provide
construction inspection services for land development activities.
This is for a part-time land development inspector. Agenda item
19-219. Our second and final consent agenda item is approval of
subdivision plats. The name of the development is The Milam
Group, LLC for land lots 481, 527, and 528, located at 1530
Dinsmore and 15295 Freemanville. This is for a minor plat to
reconfigure two existing lots on a total of 2.54 acres for a density
of 0.78 lots per acre. Agenda item No. 19-220.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. Do I have a motion on the consent agenda?
Ms. Bentley: Mayor, I'd like to approve the consent agenda as read.
Ms. Cookerly: Second.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. I've got a motion for approval from Councilmember
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council 5
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 5 of 21
Bentley, a second from Councilmember Cookerly. All in favor,
please say "Aye."
All: Aye.
Mayor Lockwood: That's unanimous. Okay, let's move on to our reports and
presentations. Stacy, if you will please call the first item.
Motion and Vote: Councilmember Bentley moved to approve the Consent Agenda
Items. Councilmember Cookerly seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0).
Councilmember Mohrig was absent from the meeting.
REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS
1. Proclamation Recognizing Hopewell Mustangs All Star Baseball 2018 6U and
2019 7U Team Day.
(Presented by Councilmember Joe Longoria)
City Clerk: The first item is a proclamation recognizing Hopewell Mustangs
All Star Baseball 2018 6U and 2019 7U Team Day, presented by
Councilmember Joe Longoria.
Mr. Longoria: All right. If you remember, the Hopewell Mustangs — boys, please
stand up — and I think there were some ball girls in the audience as
well. Is that true? No? Maybe not. Okay. Listen, guys. This is what
I wanna tell you. This is all about a proclamation for something
that you guys did, something that you guys accomplished. I
understand that you've been playing baseball most of your lives,
and that you had the opportunity to play together for both the state
championship as well as the world championship in Mississippi, I
believe it was.
So, whenever a team gets together and puts that kind of effort,
energy, and dedication into something and achieves that, we wanna
be able to recognize you because we wanna make sure you
understand what you did was that special. So, I'm gonna read this,
I want you guys to listen, and then, after I've read it, everybody's
gonna clap a little bit, then we're gonna walk down, we're gonna
take some pictures, and I'm gonna give you guys a copy of the
proclamation that I'm reading right now.
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council 6
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 6 of 21
"Proclamation for the Hopewell Mustang All Star Baseball 2018
6U and 2019 7U Team Day. Whereas baseball is a sport that
requires skillful hand -eye coordination, mental awareness, and
physical endurance; and, whereas the Hopewell Youth Association
has provided youth baseball programming at Bell Memorial Park
since 1986; and, whereas every year, the Hopewell Youth
Association creates summer All Star teams for multiple age groups
of youth players, and in 2017, they created the first ever 5U
Hopewell Mustangs All Star team;
"And, whereas in 2018, the now one -year -older 6U Hopewell
Mustangs won four tournaments leading up to their very first
Dizzy Dean League tournament state championship, and it was the
first for a Hopewell All Star team, and finished second in the
Dizzy Dean World Series, compiling a record of 31 wins and three
losses; and, whereas in 2019, the now again one -year -older 7U
Hopewell Mustangs won three tournaments, including their second
Dizzy Dean state championship, leading up to their very first
Dizzy Dean World Series tournament championship, and the first
for a Hopewell All Star team, compiling a record of 26 wins and
four losses.
"Whereas the 2018 6U and 2019 7U Hopewell Mustangs have a
combined two-year record of 57 wins, seven losses, and they've
never lost two consecutive games; and, whereas the players on the
2018 6U and the 2019 7U Hopewell Mustangs are champions not
only on the field, but also in the classroom, in community, and in
life, and we are proud that this great team is located in Milton,
Georgia.
"Now therefore, we, the Mayor and the City Council of the City of
Milton, hereby dictate and proclaim Monday, October 7th as
Hopewell Mustangs All Star Baseball 2018 6U and 2019 7U Team
Day in the City of Milton, Georgia, given under our hand and seal
of the City of Milton, Georgia on the 7th day of October 2019."
Congratulations, guys. You guys can join us up here.
[Crosstalk, picture -taking]
Mayor Lockwood: Stacy, if you would please sound the next proclamation item ... in a
second.
[Crosstalk]
1
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 7 of 21
Mr. Kunz: That's a lot of energy right there.
City Clerk: They did so good though, the picture.
Mayor Lockwood: It's a happy energy.
7
2. Swearing in of Firefighters David Jones and Michael Dalton.
(Robert Edgar, Fire Chiej)
City Clerk: Okay. So, our next item is swearing in of firefighters David Jones
and Michael Dalton. Chief Robert Edgar.
Chief Edgar: Good evening, mayor, council. It's my pleasure to introduce the
Fire Rescue Department's two newest firefighters: Michael Dalton
and David Jones. Michael is a certified firefighter EMT. He put
himself through the fire academy and his EMT training on his own,
and this is his first fire department job.
David is a certified firefighter EMT. He comes to us from Gilmer
County Fire Rescue, where he spent nearly 11 years. He holds
many certifications, which include swift water rescue, fire
investigator, and a member of the Georgia Search and Rescue
Team. So, I'd ask Michael and David if they would please come
up, and mayor, if you would please be so kind as to give them the
oath of office.
Mayor Lockwood: If you guys would raise your right hand and repeat after me. 64
1,"
state your name, "swear or affirm that I'm qualified to hold the
position of firefighter to which I am appointed, and for so long as I
am employed by the City of Milton, I do solemnly swear and
affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United
States of America and the Constitution of the State of Georgia, and
I will faithfully perform and discharge the duties of my position
conscientiously and without malice or partiality to the best of my
ability.
"I further swear and affirm to obey, to adhere to, to uphold, and to
enforce the laws of the United States of America, the State of
Georgia, and the City of Milton at all times. I further swear or
affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the City of
Milton and the officers appointed over me according to the law, so
help me God." [Firefighters repeat] And, as always, chief, I just
wanna thank these two and everybody else in uniform for keeping
1
1
1
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 8 of 21
8
us safe and getting out there every day for us. We owe you all a
deep debt of gratitude.
[Crosstalk, picture -taking]
Mayor Lockwood: Okay, Stacy, if you could please read the first presentation item.
FIRST PRESENTATION
1. Consideration of an Ordinance Amendment to Chapter 48, Article VII,
Division 3, Section 48-585 for Prohibitions and Uses in the Public -Rights -of -Way
to Address Fixed Objects with the Right -of -Way.
(Agenda Item No. 19-221)
(Robert Drewry, Public Works Director)
City Clerk: It's a consideration of an ordinance amendment to Chapter 48,
Article 7, Division 3, Section 48-585, for Prohibitions and Uses in
the Public Rights -of -Way to Address Fixed Objects in the Right -
of -Way, agenda item No. 19-221.
Mr. Kunz: Mayor, I'll make a motion that we approve the first presentation
item as read.
Ms. Bentley: Second.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. I have a motion for approval from Councilmember Kunz,
second from Councilmember Bentley. All in favor, please say
"Aye."
All:
Aye.
Mayor Lockwood: That's unanimous. Tonight, we have no items under public hearing
or zoning agendas, so we're gonna move on to unfinished business.
Stacy, if you would please call that item.
Motion and Vote: Councilmember Kunz moved to approve the First Presentation Items.
Councilmember Bentley seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0).
Councilmember Mohrig was absent from the meeting.
PUBLIC HEARING (None)
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council 9
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 9 of 21
ZONING AGENDA (None)
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
1. Consideration of an Ordinance to Update the City of Milton's Chapter 56, Article
V - Regulations Related to Parking and for Related Purposes.
ORDINANCE NO. 19-10-406
(Agenda Item No. 19-215)
(First Presentation at September 23, 2019 City Council Meeting)
(Rich Austin, Police Chieji
City Clerk: Consideration of an ordinance to update the City of Milton's
Chapter 56, Article 5, which is Regulations Relating to Parking
and for Related Purposes, agenda item No. 19-215. The first
presentation was at September 23rd, 2019 city council meeting.
Chief Rich Austin.
Chief Austin: Greetings, mayor, members of the council. This ordinance would
establish a parking ordinance within the city. Currently, our
officers only have the option of writing state charges for routine
parking violations. The fines for these — the state charges — are
typically right at $178.00, and this is mandated by state court. If
the council is inclined to enact this ordinance, the officers would
have the option to charge violations on a city citation, and would
allow the city court, in conjunction with a judge, to set a more
reasonable fine schedule. We envision most fines would be
approximately $25.00-50.00 at that point.
This is more in line with our neighboring jurisdictions, and we feel
that this change — we could still have the positive impact on
parking enforcement while being more fair to our citizens.
Interestingly, this ordinance would also allow our public safety
ambassadors to write traffic citations on occasion.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. Any questions? Laura?
Ms. Bentley: So, this is citywide for all parking violations?
Chief Austin: Correct.
Ms. Bentley: Okay, great. I did get a comment about the extreme amount from
someone on Wood Road, and I will say that it is a little bit
1
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 10 of 21
10
ambiguous because even when I go, I'm real unsure about where
the parallel parking is allowed and not allowed, and I know we
don't wanna litter that area with signs, but maybe we can do an
outreach, being there in the morning with the public safety
ambassadors, just to let people know what areas might not — where
they shouldn't park because it's different now. So, thank you for
that change. I totally support it.
Mayor Lockwood: Anybody else? All right. I'll open up for a motion.
Mr. Jamison: Mayor, I'll make a motion to approve agenda item No. 19-215.
Ms. Cookerly: Second.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay, I have a motion from Councilmember Jamison for approval,
with a second from Councilmember Cookerly, I believe. All in
favor, please say "Aye."
All:
Aye.
Mayor Lockwood: That's unanimous. Okay, Stacy, if you would please sound the
next item.
Motion and Vote: Councilmember Jamison moved to approve Agenda Item No. 19-215.
Councilmember Cookerly seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0).
Councilmember Mohrig was absent from the meeting.
Consideration of an Ordinance of the City Milton to Revise and Update Chapter
4, Section 4-235, (5)a.3 as it Relates to the Crimes Preventing the Possession of a
Pouring Permit.
ORDINANCE NO. 19-10-407
(Agenda Item No. 19-216)
(First Presentation at September 23, 2019 City Council Meeting)
(Rich Austin, Police Chiefi
City Clerk: Next item is consideration of an ordinance of the City of Milton to
revise and update Chapter 4, Section 4-235, 5A3, as it relates to the
crimes preventing the possession of a pouring permit, agenda item
No. 19-216. First presentation was at the September 23rd, 2019
city council meeting. Chief Rich Austin.
Chief Austin: Mayor and members of the council, this minor ordinance would
1
1
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 11 of 21
11
change one of the violations that prohibits folks from obtaining and
possessing an alcohol pouring permit. This would just change from
the "any illegal possession of a controlled substance" as a
disqualifier to "felony possession of a controlled substance" as the
disqualifier. We just felt like that was a bit more reasonable for
folks that were trying to obtain a permit.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. Any questions for the chief on that? Okay, I'll open it for a
motion.
Ms. Bentley: Mayor, I'd like to make a motion to approve agenda item No. 19-
216.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. Do I have a second?
Ms. Cookerly: Second.
Mayor Lockwood: I have a motion for approval from Councilmember Bentley, with a
second from Councilmember Cookerly. All in favor, please say
"Aye."
All: Aye.
Mayor Lockwood: That's unanimous.
Motion and Vote: Councilmember Bentley moved to approve Agenda Item No. 19-216.
Councilmember Cookerly seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0).
Councilmember Mohrig was absent from the meeting.
Chief Austin: Thank you.
Mayor Lockwood: Thank you, chief. We'll move on to new business. Stacy, if you'll
please sound the item.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Consideration of a Land Acquisition Agreement for Purchase of Realty between
the City of Milton and United Athletics, Inc. for Fulton Tax Parcel No. 22
357010920690, 170 Cox Rd. (8.128 Acres) with a Purchase Price of $1,500,000.
(Agenda Item No. 19-222)
(Jim Cregge, Parks and Recreation Director)
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council 12
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 12 of 21
City Clerk: It's the consideration of a land acquisition agreement for purchase
of realty between the City of Milton and United Athletics,
Incorporated for Fulton tax parcel No. 22 357010920690, 170 Cox
Road, for 8.128 acres with a purchase price of $1.5 million, agenda
item No. 19-222. Mr. Jim Cregge.
Jim: Good evening, mayor and council. What you have before you is
the option for the city to place a contract on this property. The
property currently has always been used as active field space. It
has had lights on it for many, many years. It was renovated two
years ago with two large grass fields that are in beautiful condition
for playing soccer or lacrosse, and there's also a half-size artificial
turf field.
This is an area that has very few neighbors around it. On one side,
there is a cemetery; on the other side, there's a small school —
private school. It has always existed as an active play space park,
and in accordance with the 2027 master plan, it specifically
encouraged us to seek opportunities such as this. The plan also
indicates that as of 2017, we were short two multipurpose fields,
and we will need two more by 2027. I thank you for your
consideration of this contract land. I'm prepared to answer any
questions you may have at this time.
Mayor Lockwood: Any questions for Jim on this? I just wanna make a statement.
This, to me, is a win -win — a piece of property that's for sale, but
also already has a lot of improvements that we definitely have a
need for in the City of Milton. Matt?
Mr. Kunz: I agree. I think this is definitely something that we are very
fortunate and fell in our lap. This way, we obviously relieve some
of the pressure on some of our sports facilities without having to
cut down any existing trees, so I think that's a good thing. A
couple questions I had from people in the community: Once we
make this purchase, what would be the cost to run it? I didn't have
an answer for that. Do you have an idea?
Jim: I don't have an answer for it, but that would be part of the due
diligence that we would have to do once this has started.
Mr. Kunz: Right, so, we would do that. And, the condition of the fields are
good right now? No —
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council 13
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 13 of 21
Jim: They are in excellent condition right now.
Mr. Kunz: Excellent condition, good.
Jim: And, Mr. Kunz, if I may add, I have already spoken with the
contractor who put in the artificial turf field. It is the same
contractor who put in the artificial turf fields at Bell Memorial
Park, and he has assured me that the eight -year warranty on the
artificial turf field is transferrable to the city if we take ownership.
Mr. Kunz: And, when is that eight years over?
Jim: Well, it started two years ago.
Mr. Kunz: So, we have six more years on that warranty, then.
Jim: Yes, sir.
Mr. Kunz: Okay. And, the sports specifically that are benefiting are soccer
and lacrosse. I forgot — we don't have baseball on it, do we?
Jim: Well, we don't have a soccer program at this time, but lacrosse
would definitely benefit from that, and right now, the fields are not
set up to be useful for baseball.
Mr. Kunz: Gotcha, okay. Just relaying the information. Perfect, thank you.
Mayor Lockwood: Anybody else? Laura?
Ms. Bentley: I have a question. Where are the funds coming from to pay for
this?
Jim: I believe these came from the final 2019 budget amendments into
the operating transfer out to the PAYGO.
Ms. Bentley: So, we're using the PAYGO funds?
Jim: That is correct.
Ms. Bentley: I just wanna — those of us that voted for that mill to be at the
historically set rate, we knew that this day was coming, and I
appreciate the support on it to be able to have this flexibility to buy
this property. We knew we were short these fields all along, and
we had to make a tough decision when that time came to stay at the
1
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 14 of 21
14
capped mill, and it's for this type of purchase that we planned for,
and we were in a relationship with Alpharetta with the
memorandum of understanding that was no longer serving our
needs, and I just appreciate the vision and the foresight of those
councilmembers that voted to be able to have this flexibility and do
this for our active parks program.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. Anybody else?
Ms. Cookerly: I would just wanna — since I went through my first budget
opportunity this time around, I appreciate the PAYGO system and
how unique Milton is, and I appreciate your comments because it
enabled us to slide right into this opportunity and not put any other
kind of debt on our citizens, so I think this is a classic example of
what that little, tiny increase did for everybody. Thank you, Jim.
Good work.
Jim: It takes a large group of us to lead the staff. I'm just the person
standing up here.
Ms. Cookerly: Well, thank you for being up here.
Mayor Lockwood: Big team. Okay, anything else? I'll open it up for a motion.
Ms. Bentley: Mayor, I'd like to make a motion to approve agenda item No. 19-
222.
Mr. Kunz: Second.
Mayor Lockwood: Okay. I have a motion for approval from Councilmember Bentley,
with a second from Councilmember Kunz. All in favor?
All: Aye.
Mayor Lockwood: It's unanimous. Thank you, Jim.
Motion and Vote: Councilmember Bentley moved to approve Agenda Item No. 19-222.
Councilmember Kunz seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0). Councilmember
Mohrig was absent from the meeting.
Jim: Thank you.
1
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 15 of 21
MAYOR AND COUNCIL REPORTS
000 a.704Z171%0
Department Updates
1. Public Works
Mayor Lockwood: Okay, we'll move on to staff reports and Public Works.
15
Public Works: Good evening, Mr. Mayor, council, Mr. Manager. A brief report,
just to give you a little background on what happened in the month
of September. We are continuing to do our stormwater inspections.
We're about 60 percent completed of the 1,000 structures we have
to inspect. We've essentially completed inspecting our outfalls and
our ponds.
A couple projects that you probably are already aware of: We are
now under construction of repair of the sidewalks and ramps in the
Beltaire, Bethany, and Brookshade subdivisions. DAF is our
contractor for that project. We are currently bidding a drainage
improvement project at the Batesville and Taylor Road
intersections. We've had ponding water there, and we've got plans
that are on the street to construct a drainage improvement project
there. We hope to occupy — well, actually, we're expecting to
occupy our Public Works facility sometime this week, so that's
good news to us because we definitely need the room for that.
On the maintenance side, we had 97 work orders for September,
and just a brief summary: Of those 97 work orders, 28 were sign
issues, 18 potholes, edge -of -pavement problems. I know you
always like to hear about dead animals. We had 17 dead animals in
the month of September, and 10 stormwater issues, and a couple
other minor issues. We issued 16 right-of-way encroachment
permits. Of those 16, two of those were driveways. Any questions
or comments, I'm glad to address those.
Mayor Lockwood: Any questions? We're letting you off easy. You get that 90-day
honeymoon.
Public Works: I'm ready. Thank you very much.
Mayor Lockwood: Thank you. Courtney? Community outreach?
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 16 of 21
2. Community Outreach
16
Courtney: Good evening, mayor and council. Mine is not as brief. I'm sorry. I
don't talk to y'all as often, though. Thank you to everybody who
came to Crabapple Fest. If you weren't there, we had beautiful
weather. The first real day of fall was with us for the day. We had
record crowds, happy vendors and attendees, and a lot of people
have thanked me for that. I can't take credit for the weather, and I
don't really like to take credit even for the festival.
It's easy to take credit for that, but as a leader, I understand that
gratitude is the foundation for any great team and any great event,
and it lets others know that they matter. I could easily take that
credit, and I could truly stand here and thank people until you all
cut the mic or play music like they do at the Oscars, but I won't do
that to anybody.
But, I do need to thank some people publicly. Our Milton staff
from Public Works does a fantastic job. Police and fire make sure
that everybody is kept safe at the event, with a detour and all the
public safety for all those people — thousands and thousands of
people there, and it takes all of them to keep that event safe. Mark
Arrington is a Milton citizen who, without fail, without reminders,
and without any pay, handles all of the recycling for all of our
Milton events. Volunteers from the National Charity League show
up and help take care of vendors and help at our welcome tent.
Our two top sponsors are Crabapple Market and Lincoln, and then,
our community partners, Crabapple Community Association,
Crabapple First Baptist Church, Milton High School, Crabapple
Community Elementary School, Northwestern High School,
Crabapple Family Dentistry let us use their parking, which is a big
deal, if you know. And finally, my own team, communications and
engagement, including Jen Hartwig, Anita Jupin, and Shannon
Ferguson, who were at the event from beginning to end, as they
always are, doing whatever tasks need to be done.
Shannon, like so many other employees and citizens here, we will
miss you greatly. Thank you very much. We're still compiling full
details about the festival. We'll have a debrief with Crabapple
Community Association, staff, public safety, and the contractors
we work with to work out what worked well and what we need to
make it an even better festival, to make it the best festival in the
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 17 of 21
17
area. That's it about Crabapple Fest. That took over a lot of time
for everybody for a lot of people, so I wanted to knock it out.
But, since May, over the summer, we had a summer intern, Audrey
Shannon — a lot of you met her and already know her. She is
fantastic. She worked with each city department to develop a
comprehensive internship program, the city's first. She included
the steps for implementation, measures for success. She presented
that to city management, and the program was approved for fiscal
year 2020, and recruitment for volunteers will begin — for interns
will begin in January 2020. She's back at school in Mount
Holyoke. She let me follow her on Instagram, so she's doing well.
But, that's what we did this summer.
We also hired one of two part-time special event coordinators. One
of those is Anita Jupin. She started August 19th. She's a UGA
graduate with tons of event experience. Her first Milton event was
Crabapple Fest, and she had a great time. I was heartened that she
had a list of things for improvement at the end of the festival. And,
she also has volunteer experience with Crabapple Community
Association. We worked on the budget, and we'll be hiring another
part-time special events coordinator very soon.
We're also working on the 2020 events calendar, and hopefully
adding some new events as we get that second part-time special
events coordinator hired and working with them. Our upcoming
community outreach — with Better Together, we have Adopt -A -
Road on October 26th and are working to expand their outreach in
the community as well.
The Village Volunteers have added music therapy. Today, I think,
they took a trip to the Atlanta Zoo. They're working on a new
brochure, and their volunteer leader, Diane Stewart, and her
volunteers and caregivers continue to find innovative and caring
ways to involve young adults with special needs in the community.
Their group is ever-growing and finding new ways to do that.
In November upcoming, we're hosting Greater North Fulton
Chamber of Commerce Emerging Leaders program — that's their
teen leadership group. We'll have 38 seniors from North Fulton
High School here at city hall for Government Day. I think they will
be reaching out to you all, council, to maybe come speak to that
group. We'll be hosting them here, and then we'll be hosting
Leadership North Fulton's Economic Development Day, also here
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 18 of 21
18
at city hall. And then, our own Citizen Government Academy
fourth cohort begins in January, so they'll be recruiting for that.
The Milton Equestrian Committee is working with Public Works
on Birmingham Park trail improvements, and then, they're also
working on different event ideas for educating citizens about
horses and equestrians. Upcoming events are Carvin' in Crabapple
on October 20th at Broadwell Pavilion, Christmas in Crabapple on
November 30th at Broadwell Pavilion, and a pancake breakfast
with Santa — yes — on December 7th at Fire Station 43. We
continue to find ways to ensure that Milton is a welcoming,
inclusive place where residents are engaged. Thank you very
much.
Mayor Lockwood: Thank you, Courtney. Ken, point of order. We've got an executive
session next, but can I switch council reports in front of executive
session?
Ken: In fact, you should do that.
Mayor Lockwood: Do I need to do any action? All right. Does anybody on the council
have anything they wanna report on? I'd like to ask Shannon to
step forward. I wanna say a couple words. It's bittersweet that we
wish Shannon farewell. I think Wednesday's your last day.
Shannon: Wednesday, that's right.
Mayor Lockwood: You're taking on a new opportunity, but I just wanna thank you
from my position and the council, as well as all of our citizens and
the rest of our staff. Thank you for everything you've done for the
City of Milton. We'll miss you, but good luck moving forward.
Shannon: I appreciate that. Thank you. I felt the need to write down — I
normally speak from the cuff, but I'm a bit emotional. It's a great
team, and just want to share some thoughts specifically with
council. I certainly appreciate the opportunity to address you all
one last time. It's been an absolute pleasure to serve such an
engaged community.
While I had lots of experience in state government and had served
local governments in my former job at UGA, I had never actually
provided local government services, so I knew very little in the
way of public works, community development, planning and
zoning, law enforcement, or the fire service. Lucky for me, I was
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council 19
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pra
Page 19 of 21
fortunate enough to find myself among some of the most dedicated
public servants that I've ever had the pleasure of working with.
They tolerated my incessant questions, they were always patient
with me, and they never — not even once — made me feel stupid for
whatever dumb question I might have just asked them.
I am forever grateful to my fellow department heads and their staff
for all that they've taught me about local government. I also want
to express my thanks to council. You, too, made my job easy as the
communications director because while you may not all agree on a
particular policy or a decision, you're always thoughtful in your
analysis, your love for Milton, and your decisions are informed and
always laser focused on the greater good, and that's what matters. I
will leave you with one final challenge. Annually, I have the honor
of participating in the local government MPA panel at UGA, and
the city manager of an unnamed metropolitan suburb offered some
students words of wisdom.
He says, "It's easy to get caught up in addressing the two percent
that are unhappy for whatever reason, but when we do, we're
forgetting the 98 percent that are satisfied and pleased with their
community, and that's because of you and because of staff. And
so, while you have to be responsive, you also have to remember all
the work that you did to deliver that satisfaction to the 98 percent,
who may not be as vocal in that moment." So, thank you all for
your support over these last three years. I wish you continued
success, and I can't wait to see what you all accomplish in the next
decade, and I am sure that I will see some of you or others at
GMA, but thank you so much for the opportunity to serve Milton.
EXECUTIVE SESSION (Land Acquisition)
Mayor Lockwood: Thank you, Shannon. Next, we added an executive session to
discuss land acquisition. If I can have a motion and a second?
Mr. Longoria: Move to adjourn to executive session.
Mr. Jamison: Second.
Mayor Lockwood: I have a motion by Councilmember Longoria, second by
Councilmember Jamison.
IJ
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 20 of 21
W
Mr. Jamison: That's land acquisition?
Mr. Longoria: For land acquisition, yes. Oh, you didn't hear me say that?
Mr. Jamison: I'm sure you did.
Mr. Longoria: All right, just checking.
Mayor Lockwood: All in favor, please say "Aye."
All: Aye.
Mayor Lockwood: That's unanimous.
Motion and Vote: Councilmember Longoria moved to go into Executive Session to
discuss land acquisition at 6:46 p.m. Councilmember Jamison seconded the motion.
The motion passed (6-0). Councilmember Mohrig was absent from the meeting.
Mr. Longoria:
It says it right there on the agenda.
Ms. Cookerly:
I think I'll have a mint.
Mayor Lockwood:
Go ahead, have all you want.
[Crosstalk)
RECONVENE
Mr. Kunz:
Move to reconvene.
Mr. Longoria:
Second.
Mayor Lockwood:
Who said that? All right. Do I have a motion to reconvene?
Mr. Kunz:
So, moved.
Mr. Longoria:
Second.
Mayor Lockwood:
Motion is seconded. All in favor, please say "Aye."
All:
Aye.
1
1
1
Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Page 21 of 21
21
Motion and Vote: Councilmember Longoria moved to reconvene the Regular Meeting at
8:01p.m. Councilmember Jamison seconded the motion. The
motion passed (6-0). Councilmember Mohrig was absent from the
meeting.
Mayor Lockwood: That's unanimous, and that'll conclude our meeting. Do I have a
motion to adjourn?
ADJOURNMENT
(Agenda Item No. 19-223)
Mr. Kunz: So, moved.
Mr. Longoria: Second.
Mayor Lockwood: I have a motion and second to adjourn. All in favor, please say
'Aye."
All: Aye.
Mayor Lockwood: That's unanimous also. See ya.
Motion and Vote: Councilmember Longoria moved to adjourn the Regular Meeting at
8:03 p.m. Councilmember Jamison seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0).
Councilmember Mohrig was absent from the meeting.
Date Approved: November 4, 2019
Sudie AM Gordon, City Clerk
Joe Lockwoo , Mayor