This November, be a ‘Milton’ voter.

The City of Milton is coming up on its sixth birthday, and looking back at all the issues we’ve encountered, there’s one that continues to linger, despite our best efforts: residents not realizing they live in Milton.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s getting better every day. But still, there are a number of reasons for the confusion: being surrounded by long-standing and popular communities; the inability for mapping software and widely-used address databases to keep Milton as a location over Alpharetta or Roswell (due in part to year scrubbings of the data, we’re told); and the simple fact that Milton is a town in which Old Milton Parkway does not exist, and neither does Milton Center, the former site of Milton High School (luckily, though, Milton High is now in Milton).

And we’re not alone. Every new city faces these issues. Johns Creek is having similar problems, as are Sandy Springs and Dunwoody. They’ve got some factors in their favor – for instance, that people knew the names Johns Creek, Sandy Springs and Dunwoody as specific geographic areas long before incorporation -- but overall, it’s a tough row to hoe.

So here’s my call to action to all Milton residents: This November, when you go to the polls, make sure your registration card says you are from Milton. It’s one of the simplest, most effective ways to claim ownership of your city while ensuring the voting system is working properly.

But how do you know if you live in Milton?

1.Your property tax bill: This is the simplest way to decide where you live. Simply check your property taxes. If you live in Milton, before Dec. 1, 2006 you only received a tax bill from Fulton County. You now receive bills from the City of Milton and Fulton County (and to be clear, the totals haven’t changed: Fulton charges about half what you paid before. We now receive the rest to pay for city services like roads, parks, police and fire).

2.Maps: What if you don’t pay property taxes to the City of Milton because you rent? That’s easy, too. Just check any of the city’s maps available at www.cityofmiltonga.us and see where you fall.

3.Call us: Still not sure? Just give us a call at 678-242-2500 and one of our staff will be happy to assist you in determining if you live in Milton.
Now once you know you do live in Milton, how do you make sure your voter registration card reflects it?

1.Visit City Hall: At Milton’s City Hall, located at 13000 Deerfield Parkway, Suite 107A, you can find a voter registration form in the City Clerk’s Office. Simply check “Change of address” and fill out your new address.
2.Visit a county service office: These forms are also available at the two county service offices available to Fulton County residents:
•North Fulton County Service Center: 7741 Roswell Road Sandy Springs, GA 30350 404-613-7675
•Fulton County Government Center: 130 Peachtree St., SW Suite 2186 Atlanta, GA 30303 404-612-7020
Simple enough, right? Here’s hoping I see you – as a Milton resident – at the polls this November!

Joe Lockwood
Mayor, City of Milton