News Flash

There is something poignant about turning the calendar page and finding we’ve reached its end. December is a wonderful time for reflection and planning – and our team has been doing a considerable amount of both these days. From projects to programming and services, we’re pleased with our efforts this year, and looking forward to expanding on them in the next. 

Your Input is Valued and Welcomed as We Plan for Milton’s Future

FY23 budget discussions have begun.

We are eager to hone-in on a proposal during our selectboard meetings this month. The next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 6, during which the municipal team will present their department budget proposals. This is an iterative process, in which the public’s input is of great value. We hope you will attend these important meetings in person or online, as we shape the budget proposal that will be put to a vote on March 1. 

Residents can also weigh in on the future of our town through Milton on the Move.

The Milton on the Move Community Visit is a three-month process, facilitated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development. The visit brings community members together to examine town issues, decide on top priorities and develop action plans for our future. 

While the kickoff forum occurred on November 17, community members can still get involved. On December 14, we will be prioritizing action items based on November’s conversation. We will create task forces to explore these items and will meet again on January 12 to create action plans. Experts will be on hand at that meeting to help the task forces learn more about resources and funding opportunities. Interested residents can visit http://bit.ly/MiltonontheMove for more information. 

Reappraisals are underway.

As the year comes to a close, I am pleased to share that surveys were completed for our town wide reappraisal. With the data collected, we can now begin the process of reassessing properties to ensure equity. Thanks again to all the homeowners and businesses who helped support this important effort.

Outside the Town Offices…

We recently put the Community Garden to bed.

We are now scheduling winter meetings with our garden volunteers. We’ll be discussing how to learn from our inaugural season and move forward with those findings this spring. 

Winter Recreation plans are taking shape.

Although our fields are going dormant, efforts in our recreation department have been anything but. Our team is hard at work on new programming, including our winter eSports League, Garden to Kitchen holiday cooking camp, Guitar for Beginners lessons, holiday events and more. We’re especially looking forward to our Winter Festival the weekend of Feb. 11-13. Be sure to check our Recreation Department’s social media pages and website to stay up to date on programming. 

Our team recently spoke with FEMA about reimbursement for the recently completed Rollin Irish Road project.

We were pleased to learn that we should receive about $72,000 in aid. 

Regular late fall/winter operations continue around town.

In early November, our highway division collected trash along Duffy, Marrs Hollow, Hibbard Road and West Milton Road. All told, the refuse filled a one-ton truck. On November 22, our team rushed to Lake Road where water was overflowing from two sloping driveways. We cleaned out 150 feet of ditches and two 18-foot culverts to resolve the issue. 

Talks continue between the town and the owner of the former Creamery on Railroad Street. 

We hope to obtain funding to assist with remediation of the hazardous materials on site. Our Planning & Development Director Cymone Haiju plans to assist with the filing of a BRELLA Program application for the creamery, which would help limit liability for pre-existing contamination on the site, enabling the parties to move forward safely with redevelopment plans. As always, our Ongoing Projects page is a great resource for information about work around town. 

We hope you and yours stay safe and warm this December!

We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. As always, we look forward to seeing you in our offices and around town.  

Don Turner, Jr.

Town Manager, Town of Milton

Follow the Town of Milton, VT Facebook page for ongoing updates.