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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Milton moves out on its own with 2011 budget

By Patrick Fox
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Milton moved into uncharted waters this week as city officials got their first glimpse of the 2011 budget -- the first spending plan where every penny is a matter of public record.

The proposal calls for $17.4 million in spending, down about $400,000 from last year. The big change is that Milton has severed ties with a private firm that had provided the majority of municipal services since the city incorporated nearly four years ago.

The company, CH2M Hill-OMI, still provides services to Johns Creek and Sandy Springs, north Fulton's other two new cities.

Milton's parting with the firm should save the city about $1.4 million, said City Manager Chris Lagerbloom. The company's contract called for a fee of $8.2 million this year.

Because CH2M Hill-OMI is a private company, how the money was spent was proprietary and not open to public scrutiny. With the city assuming the services, Lagerbloom said, all expenses, from workers' salaries to the price of operating copiers, is accounted for.

"Don't get me wrong," Lagerbloom said. "Without CH2M Hill-OMI, we wouldn't be where we are today. They helped us a lot."

Milton still hires out some of its work. Labor for public works costs the city about $540,000 annually. The city also contracts for a planning reviewer and building inspector and a part-time traffic engineer.

Johns Creek is similarly pursuing a path to ween itself from CH2M Hill-OMI. The city last month authorized its own information technology director to eventually assume some of the duties now handled through the firm.

Johns Creek will present its preliminary budget at Monday's City Council meeting.

While the Milton budget proposes a decrease in spending, Lagerbloom told council members at a Monday work session that the plan calls for adding one new police officer. The police budget is proposed to increase from $2.46 million to $2.51 million as a result.

Preliminary estimates from the Fulton County Assessor's Office show a relatively flat tax digest, meaning the city's property tax levy should bring in about the same amount as last year, about $8.6 million.

The county also indicated that Milton's ZIP code, 30004, was the only zone in Fulton showing an increase in value over 2009, up 3 percent. The rest of the county averaged a decline of about 5 percent, Lagerbloom said.

The Milton City Council plans to review more of the spending plan at its regular meeting Monday and again on Aug. 23. It is set to adopt a final budget Sept. 6.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

tim wheres your obnoxious comment about them adding only 1 police office instead of a whole battalion

Anonymous said...

Good job Milton for moving ahead on your own and saving the taxpayers money!

Anonymous said...

Seems as though when an article appears that "snake in the grass" can post a disparaging remark towards Tim Enloe, she jumps at the chance. We will all be happier if this hateful human stops any and all further posts. We are sick and tired of your venom.

Anonymous said...

good try but im a he adn tim is quick to judge and rare to take back any ridiculous comments he posts

Anonymous said...

Hey post 12:38 pm. You are a loon!

Tim Enloe said...

All I will say is this. Anyone who would like to debate me on my views of not only Milton but in general is more that welcome to contact me. We will video the discussion for all to enjoy. Afterwards, I will take you to dinner at any Milton restaurant so you can lick your wounds and wipe away the tears.

Until then, feel free to stay in the grass and attempt to hide. After all, everyone knows who you are...

Tim Enloe
Accessmilton.com
770 653 0552

Anonymous said...

see still no cojones as tim fails to take back any comments hes made in past

Karl Haase said...

Why in the world should Tim take back comments he made on HIS website?? It's almost painful anticipating and reading some of the comments that keep popping up anonymously every time a new story appears. Put your name on it and accept the offer for a live debate or pipe down. There are millions of other pages on the internet to enjoy, if this one bothers you so much then just move past it - simple.

Anonymous said...

Talk about obnoxious, this blogger
is eaten by a cancer of hate. We can live easily without you. Move on so we can enjoy accessmilton. Tim has given so many good things to the city of Milton and has kept us informed. You are the one that needs to take back all your nasty comments.

Anonymous said...

name some of the good things enleo has doen for milton really now

Anonymous said...

He has quietened down the school and exposed Neil Obrien for the person that he is.

Karl Haase said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

What in the world are you talking about? Apologies are in order from council. All requests for controlling the speeding in our city has fallen on deaf ears. Guess this may cost them some votes. What "fine work" has council done regarding above? Also, what former council member are you referencing?

Anonymous said...

If the city council can change human behavior as far as speeding is concerned, then they truly are miracle workers. Isn't that asking a lot?

Anonymous said...

Why have a law if they don't enforce it? City is a miserable failure when it comes to these law brkrs. BTW, if you are a good ol'buddy of the mayor, all you have to do is make a call and your ticket will disappear...

Karl Haase said...

Tim - could you please change the name on post 7:38pm - that was not me? I guess I will switch over to a google ID or something.

Tim Enloe said...

Karl:

No worries. Please give me a call when time allows. My apologies for this happening.

Thanks,

Tim Enloe
Accessmilton.com
770 653 0552

Anonymous said...

Karl,
Post 7:38 pm is probably the work of "snake in the grass" Rhonda. She is so sick and continues to use accessmilton as a way to vent her venom.
Most readers realized that this post did not come from you.

Anonymous said...

How is it possible for someone to blog with someone elses name, need to find out and put a stop to this before all the bloggers decided to do it now that someone has figured it out how to falsify someone elses name for their comment, NOT good.

Tim Enloe said...

This happened a while ago when we required registration for a brief period. Unfortunately, there are those who will choose to abuse the system of open dialog that not only Accessmilton provides; but other venues as well.

When people can't handle a discussion with someone they disagree with, they tend to throw rocks from behind bushes and claim false identities.

The good news is that the majority of folks who comment on Accessmilton.com respect the setup and enjoy discussion on the various topics relating to Milton.

Tim Enloe
Accessmilton.com
770 653 0552

GNR said...

To 5:54

Did you know people can be fined for improper application of the sticker that goes on their license plate?

How often do you see that enforced?

It's a stupid law, but next time you're stuck in traffic, take notice of how many morons have the sticker in the wrong place.

It's funny that I always wondered why they actually included instructions on the tag receipt detailing how to put the sticker on.