Milton City Council Member Julie Zahner Bailey

July 26, 2007

Dear Friends, Neighbors and Milton Citizens,

I hope your summer has been safe and filled with important family time. It's critical for all of us to remain grounded in the values that make this community so wonderful, unique and truly a great place to raise our families.

The City of Milton is hard at work making solid strides on your behalf. We had our first work session on the 2008 budget July 12th followed by a Mayor and Council meeting in which we heard our first rezoning case. Prior rezoning cases had been withdrawn. Scroll down for details on this rezoning and the latest rezonings heard by the Milton Planning Commission Tuesday, July 24th.

The budget process provides for much public input, e.g. multiple meetings and avenues for you to provide suggestions. I encourage you to attend these public meetings, review items in advance and provide specific input. August 9th is the next budget workshop at City Hall. Use the link in the right margin for the draft budget.

Many questions were asked of the initial items brought forth by Staff in the draft budget. I will continue to delve into the details with the goal of providing citizens the most efficient, effective and citizen desired services. Use this link to ensure you have all the dates marked on your calendar, click here for City Calendar.

You may have read some things in the paper lately regarding the City of Milton and the decision to hire an Industrial Psychologist for $6400. Most reports have sensationalized the issue and the real facts have been lost. To be clear, I am on record - along with Mayor Lockwood and Council person Tina Daversa -- as not supporting the $6400 expenditure of tax payer dollars. We did not believe it was necessary and were unclear as to what the goal or outcome of this process would be. As reported by the Milton Herald and the Milton Neighbor, Mayor Lockwood, Council person Tina Daversa and myself comprised the dissenting voice on this topic.

Also of importance to citizens is to provide you facts regarding the Insurance Premium Tax as reported in the Herald and the AJC. Use this link to read specifics as to what the insurance premium tax is, the operational oversight and the plan of action in place to mitigate the filing oversight. Staff notified me of this issue July 16th. I have been and will continue to be diligent along with our Mayor and Council in pursuing solutions to remedy this situation.

Mayor and City Council Wrap up

Recent Planning Commission Meeting

The Rest of the Story

Meetings & Agendas

Wrap up from July 12th Mayor & City Council Meeting

As reported previously, the first rezoning that came to Council on July 12th was located in Crabapple just east of the Crabapple intersection. The applicant requested increased commercial and residential density that went beyond the long standing policies of this area.

Requested densities ran counter to policies of unincorporated Fulton as well as the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and underlying policies legally adopted by the City of Milton.

After hearing all the facts, including staffs and the Planning Commissions' recommendation to deny the application, I brought forward the motion to deny this rezoning as it was inconsistent with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the Northwest Fulton Overlay and the Crabapple Master Plan. The densities were in excess of those already approved and on the ground. My motion to deny received a unanimous approval following a few questions from other council members. Council member Daversa stated definitively that these are not mere guidelines, but policies to which we must not deviate.

This unanimous decision helps to continue the long standing legislative history of this area for appropriate growth and development while also helping to establish a new legislative history for the City of Milton.

You can trust I will continue to evaluate issues and cases that come before us with fairness, balance, a foundation of experience and the legal value of the consistent application of our definitive land use policies.

Until such time as the citizens decide they want to change the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and related policies, I will be the consistent, responsible and professional council person you elected to represent your collective rights and desires for your community.

Please scroll down for more information regarding the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Update process. Click here for the link allowing citizens to provide specific input now and going forward.

July 24th Planning Commission Meeting & Proposed Rezonings

Tuesday July 24th, three additional rezonings came before the Planning Commission. These rezoning cases now proceed to Mayor and Council on August 16^th. Public comment is welcomed on all rezoning cases during the public hearing.

Results of the Tuesday night, July 24th Planning Commission meeting are as follows:

Crabapple Rezoning - Dinsmore Farms - Recommendation - Denial
Thompson and Hopewell Road - AG-1 to C-1 - Recommendation - Denial
Birmingham Highway - Special Use Permit, Landscaping Company, 1.9 acres - Recommendation - Approval Conditional