Milton 101: Town Hall Series Offers Insight Into New City

Feb . 15, 2007
Contact: Bill Doughty, APR;
678.242.2492 (office) or 678.577.8152 (cell)


Bi-monthly sessions kick off Feb. 26 with overview of council, departments
Since officially entering cityhood on Dec. 1, 2006, Milton residents have posed plenty of questions to their elected officials and city staff. To help answer some of those questions and expand communication with citizens on topics of significant interest as the city moves forward in its development, Mayor Joe Lockwood and Milton City Council members are hosting a series of town hall meetings that kick off Feb. 26 with an overview of city operations.

The town hall meetings will be held every other month throughout 2007. Each session runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at City Hall.

“We realize that people have lots of questions about what they need to do now that we are an independent city, who they need to contact to get things done, and generally where we’re going in the future,” said Mayor Joe Lockwood. “The town hall series is just another way to reach out to and communicate with our residents.”

In the initial Feb. 26 meeting, the Mayor will introduce his council colleagues, who will each speak briefly about their respective districts. City Manager Aaron Bovos will introduce department heads who will talk about the roles and responsibilities of their functional areas. The Mayor also will share the council’s top priorities for the coming year.

“This is the opportunity for citizens to meet the people who serve them and learn what they do,” Lockwood said. “Our philosophy is to be as open and transparent as possible.” The mayor added that there will be a number of handouts such as district maps, contact information for council and staff, and schedules of regular meetings.

Future town hall meeting dates and topics include:

April 23 Public Safety

June 25 Community Development/comprehensive land use plan

Aug. 27 Community Services (transportation/parks & recreation/public works)

Oct. 22 Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Presentation (tentative)

Dec. 3 Year in Review

The City of Milton is a community of some 20,000 residents in northwest Fulton County. With its numerous horse farms, family-friendly neighborhoods and limited commercial development spread out over 23,000 acres, Milton offers a rural, small-town atmosphere that still affords easy access to the big-city amenities of nearby Atlanta.