It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. It’s even harder to believe that I’m heading into my fourth and final term as Milton’s mayor. I am humbled by the support offered during the recent election, and I’m honored to serve Milton residents for another four years. Together, we’ve accomplished so much in a short period of time. Every chance I get, I tell people that Milton wouldn’t be what it is today without the support of our residents.
While we’ve accomplished a lot, there’s still so much more we can do. In my last term, I look forward to growing our tax base by maximizing our economic development efforts in our Deerfield/Highway 9 commercial corridor, working with county and state officials to ensure that we have a fair and accurate property tax appraisal and assessment process, fully executing the city’s greenspace strategy, and delivering the next generation of parks and trails to the citizens of Milton.
Milton’s capped millage rate requires fiscal discipline and innovative approaches to capital improvements. We have a real opportunity over the next several years to broaden our capital investments — increased sidewalk connectivity, expanded trail networks, and enhanced park facilities — through focused economic development efforts in areas that make the most sense for Milton, both literally in where we’re recruiting businesses to physically locate and figuratively by what types of businesses we’re recruiting. Our Deerfield and Crabapple form-based codes help ensure our residents’ vision for Milton while maximizing revenue opportunities through strategic economic development in our two key areas: Deerfield/Highway 9 and the Crabapple area.
While the city isn’t directly responsible for county assessments, I believe municipalities like Milton have a voice, and we can impact the future by engaging in the discussion and advocating for good governance. In Milton, our goal is to be proactive rather than reactive, which is why we’ve revised how we’re accounting for Milton’s property tax revenues going forward. However, it can’t stop there because we need to ensure our voice is heard at the highest levels, and that we effect positive change for future assessments.
Enhancing the quality of life for all Milton residents is a central theme of everything we do at city hall, and preserving our rural character and expanding our parks and trails are key elements in maintaining our high quality of life. By fully executing our greenspace initiative and strategically planning for parks and recreation, we’re positively impacting quality of life for generations to come. I learned a long time ago that short-term gains mean very little without a long-term vision. We have a community vision, and I look forward to helping fulfill that vision in my last term.
to your business!