Milton council approves tax increase

Milton residents can expect an 8.25 percent increase in their property tax after the town council agreed to the measure as part of the $3.4 million fiscal year 2021 budget.

Council approved the increase at its Aug. 31 meeting, and plans to vote on the entire budget package at its 6:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 21 meeting at Grace Church.

Town Manager Kristy Rogers had originally proposed a 6.25 percent increase, but council bumped the amount another 2 percent to accommodate an increase in training for the parks and police departments, new computers for town administration, and donations. 

The increase in donations is in part for Grace Church and Milton Theatre for allowing town meetings to be held in their facilities while the town has been unable to hold meetings at Milton library due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other donations go to the Milton Fire Department, Milton Garden Club, Milton Little League and Milton Lions Club for their participation in the 2019 Christmas tree lighting. 

The increase would give the town $1.2 million in property tax revenue, by far Milton’s biggest revenue generator. By bumping up the tax rate, the town will take in an extra $100,000 in revenue compared to fiscal year 2020. The increase will make the average homeowner’s tax bill $555 annually. Milton has not had a property tax increase since 2015.

Rogers has been discussing a tax increase since last year in order to decrease the town’s reliance on transfer tax revenue and on reserve funds. The town was planning to tap $379,000 in transfer tax reserves to help pay for a drainage project at the Magnolia Street parking lot estimated to cost $835,000. More than half of that project, $435,000, is covered using grant funding, with Rogers hoping to add another $100,000 to reduce the town’s share.

In her draft budget, Rogers set the town’s transfer tax revenue projection at $210,000; it is generally her method to only budget for the amount of those revenues planned to be spent in the budget. However, she has stressed that the town should not be relying on that source, stating that while the fiscal year 2020 revenue is currently at $328,000, well above the $255,000 projected, and home sales are strong, much of those sales are on existing homes, not new construction. 

Besides the Magnolia Street project, the town’s other large capital improvement is $145,000 for a new dump truck. Public Works Supervisor Greg Wingo has argued that the current dump truck, which is used to haul snow and debris, is from 1997, has suffered a great deal of rust and deterioration, and will probably not make it through another year. Both town council and the town’s finance committee have agreed to keep the dump truck in the budget.

The most controversial funding measure in the budget is using $97,000 in grant money to install lights at the new Rails to Trails extension running between Federal Street and Lavinia Street. The trail backs up to houses on West Shore Drive in Wagamon’s West Shores, and residents there have been very vocal about not wanting lights there, saying that the lights being on 24/7 would disturb their quality of life and encourage people to be using the trail all the time. Rogers has said that lights on the trail would improve public safety and be a help to the police department. Conduits have been installed, and council has indicated it plans to move forward with the lights, but nothing has been installed yet.

Annexations on deck

In addition to the budget, Milton Town Council will also hold hearings and vote on two annexation requests for properties on Route 16.

In the first, Milton Attainable Housing LLC is requesting to annex 26 acres at the intersection of Route 16 and Country Road for a proposed mixed-use development which would include four commercial pad sites and 239 housing units. 

The commercial portion of the parcel, a bit more than 5 acres, is already in town, but the rest is in Sussex County currently zoned AR-1, agricultural residential. Under Milton Attainable Housing’s proposal, five acres of the parcel fronting Route 16 would remain commercial, and the rest would be zoned R-3 residential, which would allow for planned multifamily housing units. 

The public hearing will allow for a presentation by Milton Attainable Housing principals Preston Schell and Eric Sugrue, and their engineer, Zachary Crouch. Following the presentation, the public will be allowed to speak. Votes on both the annexation and an amendment to the comprehensive development plan clarifying the use of the property are expected to be held later in the meeting.

The second annexation has been requested by BBD LLC on behalf of Stephen and Lynn Dexter, who are seeking to annex a 7.68-acre parcel at the intersection of Route 16 and Union Street Extended. 

The Dexters have proposed a commercial venture with office and storage space and a gas station. The meeting procedure will be the same as was used in the Milton Attainable Housing hearing. 

On both annexations, the town’s special review committee and the Milton Planning and Zoning Commission have recommended approval on the basis that the annexations provide more pros than cons and are consistent with the development in their respective areas.