Press Release - Be ReadyWisconsin when you Fall Back

Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday as we “fall back” and set clocks back one hour. This is also a great time to check the things that keep us safe and ready for emergencies. ReadyWisconsin urges you to check these items.

Smoke Detectors - Check and replace batteries if needed and make sure the devices around your house are working properly. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that about 16 million homes in the country have smoke alarms that do not work, due, in most cases, to dead or missing batteries. Nearly 2,700 people die and more than 15,000 are injured each year because of fires that started in their homes.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors - Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. More than 20,000 people visit the emergency room and nearly 500 are killed each year from carbon monoxide poisoning. To protect your family from carbon monoxide, follow these simple safety tips:

• Make sure you have working CO detectors. All homes and duplexes in Wisconsin are required to have CO detectors on every level including the basement, but not the attic or storage areas.
• Have your furnace or wood-burning stove inspected annually to make sure it is structurally and functionally sound and vents properly to the outside of your home.
• Never run a gasoline or propane heater or a grill (gas or charcoal) inside your home or an unventilated garage. Any heating system that burns fuel will produce carbon monoxide. Use a battery-powered detector where you have fuel burning devices but no electric outlets, such as in tents, cabins, RVs, and boats with enclosed cabins. 
• Never run a car in an enclosed space. If a vehicle is running, you must have a door open to the outside. 
• Generators should be run a safe distance from the home. Never run a generator in the home or garage, or right next to windows or doors. 

Breathing carbon monoxide displaces the oxygen in the blood and can cause death within minutes at high levels. Symptoms of overexposure to carbon monoxide are often mistaken for the flu and include headaches, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath/chest pain, nausea/vomiting, and confusion. If you experience any of these symptoms, or your carbon monoxide detector sounds an alarm, head outside immediately for fresh air and call 911.

Emergency Kits - Everyone should have a basic emergency kit in their home with supplies such as food and water to last you and your family for at least three days. Other items like a battery powered or crank radio, flashlights, first aid kit should also be included. Daylight Savings Time is a perfect time to get a kit and if you already have a kit, check it to make sure food and other items are not near or past their expiration dates.

For more information on carbon monoxide poisoning, visit: http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/eh/Air/fs/CO.htm.

For tips on emergency preparedness: http://readywisconsin.wi.gov.

5th Annual Community Carnival - Tonight, October 31st, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

If you are looking for a way to stay dry and still enjoy Halloween with your family and friends, consider going to the 5th Annual Community Carnival from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at CrossPointe Community Church, 609 Campus Street.

There will be food, a cake walk, 2 full size bounce houses, games, prizes, the Turtle Creek Ramblers performing from 6-7 p.m., and most importantly there will be candy.

Any questions call CrossPointe Community Church at (608) 580-0799.

Historic Walking Tour of Milton Cemetery - November 3rd at 1:30 p.m.

The Historic Preservation Commission's Historic Walking Tour of the Milton Cemetery, 131 N. Janesville Street, will be this Sunday, November 3rd starting at 1:30 p.m. 

The Milton Cemetery is the oldest in the City of Milton.  Rod Hilton and Cori Olson will be guiding the tour of historic graves from the 1800s to 1900.  You will not want to miss the fascinating research into Milton's past, giving voices to many silenced long ago. 

For more information about this tour, call City Hall at (608) 868-6900 or the Milton Historical Society at (608) 868-7772.

Don't forget to turn your clocks back this weekend for daylight savings!

Halloween Trick-or-Treating Hours

Halloween Trick-or-Treating hours in the City of Milton will be on Thursday, October 31st from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Historic Walking Tour of Milton Cemetery Rescheduled for November 3rd at 1:30 p.m.

The Historic Walking Tour of the Milton Cemetery has been rescheduled for November 3rd at 1:30 p.m.   

Additional information about the historic walking tour will be available soon.

Fund Established for Family of Lt. John Conger

There has been a memorial fund set up for the family of Lt. John Conger at the Bank of Milton. For those of you interested in making a donation to that fund, please send donations to:

(Checks Payable to:) Family of John Conger
Bank of Milton
PO Box 217
Milton, WI 53563

Press Release - Funeral Services for Lt. John Conger

Below is a press release from Milton Police Chief Dan Layber.


The City of Milton Police Department announces that funeral services will be held for Lieutenant John Conger on Friday, October 25, 2013, at St. Mary Church at 837 Parkview Drive, Milton, Wisconsin. Visitation will be held from 2 p.m to 7 p.m. with a service to follow at 7 p.m.  Burial services will be private. 

Lieutenant Conger died suddenly on Sunday, October 20, 2013 in Janesville, Wisconsin. Lt. Conger was a 21 year member of the Milton Police Department that served his community with distinction and dedication. Lt. Conger’s community outreach efforts were second to none and touched the lives of many in our community. He was dedicated to protecting his community and provided many outreach efforts to our children and was a leader in bullying education and prevention. He will be missed not only by the citizens of our area but by the law enforcement community that he was such an integral part of.

City Meetings Scheduled for October 21st are Cancelled

The Public Safety Committee meeting and the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting both scheduled for tonight, October 21st, are cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date.

Milton Youth Coalition Upcoming Events

Below is a press release from Milton Police Lieutenant about upcoming Milton Youth Coalition events.



The Milton Youth Coalition is announcing (2) upcoming events, as part of our continuing efforts to combat bullying in our community. 

On Tuesday, October 15th, we are partnering with the School District of Milton to present the movie “Bully”. The 2012 movie is a powerful film that deals with the very important issue of bullying and how it can impact children and a community. The event is free and open to the public. There will also be a drawing for door prizes for both students and parents alike. The film is rated PG-13 and does contain some content that could be disturbing for younger viewers. We caution parents to use their best judgment when considering bringing younger children. The event will begin at 6:15pm in the Milton High School Performing Arts Center. Members of the Coalition will be on hand afterwards to answer any questions that attendees may have about our specific programming in Milton. 

On Friday, October 18th, the Milton Youth Coalition is partnering with Cowley’s Piggly Wiggly to host a brat fry at the Milton High School Football game. The game begins at 7:00pm, and all proceeds will benefit the Milton Youth Coalition and our programming.

Mayor Frazier's 2014 Budget Address

Office of the Mayor

Members of the Common Council, City Staff and my fellow citizens I am proud today to present for your consideration and debate, the City of Milton 2014 Budget and Service Plan.

I would like to publicly thank our City staff for their hard work on this budget. Each of our Department Directors is to be commended for their efforts to present a budget to you that reflects fiscal prudence, budget affordability and long-term planning. I especially want to thank our Administrator Jerry Schuetz and our Treasurer Connie DeKemper. I began this process by laying out to them a broad sweeping vision for our City and finished that meeting with a simple direction – “let’s see how much of that we can do this year”. Jerry and Connie worked with the Department Directors to craft a budget document that you see before you tonight. It represents literally hundreds of hours of work, and thought, and effort. This document would not be possible without the efforts and care of our City staff.

This is the 175th anniversary of the settling of this community. In those 175 years our community has grown and evolved from a collection of homes and businesses to two separate Villages and finally a merger into one City – the City of Milton. Throughout those years the details of who we are have changed with the times, but through it all Milton has been more than just a City – we are a community moving forward.

This is my first budget as Mayor. The presentation of the Mayor’s Budget is responsibility of this office, but more than that – it is a privilege. It’s an opportunity.

A budget is more than a listing of costs and quantities, it’s more than a set of expenses and revenues. A budget is a representation of the values and priorities of a community. A budget should be conservative and represent good stewardship of the tax dollars of our citizens, but it should also be aspirational and never complacent. A budget should push us forward, farther, it should ask us to do more. Not merely to be more efficient but also more effective servants of our citizens. I believe a budget should honor the past while pushing on into the future. As a City, as a community, we agree that “good enough” is not good enough for us and our budget should reflect a spirit of elevated expectations of what is possible in the City of Milton.

Throughout our 175 year history as a community our City has met challenges, navigated pitfalls, and seized opportunities. In each of those years community leaders such as our Common Council have considered, debated, even argued about the proper way to fund our government.

The budget before you for your debate, I believe represents us as a community. It is a budget that reduces total government spending, improves services levels and balances the welfare of our employees, the infrastructure needs of our City and the affordability of our taxes.

Our City is growing. Our City is evolving. It is up to us as elected officials to shape a future for our community and to choose that future wisely. It is up to you as a Council to do as you have always done and to wisely consider how and where to invest the tax dollars of our citizens.

I present to you a budget that I believe represents a first step in my vision for this community. Now you, as a Council, must debate it and ensure that our final budget reflects your values and your priorities as a Council.

This budget will shape our City in 2014, our 176th year of our history, but it must also imagine the 177th and the 200th. The choices you make and the budget you craft cannot only exist in the vacuum of the now, but must presume and deliberately pursue a future for our community that represents the best of who we are today and sets a course for who and what and where we want to be tomorrow and beyond.

I am proud and honored to present the 2014 Budget and Service Plan for your debate.

Brett J. Frazier
Mayor, City of Milton

Crossroads Business Park Receives Shovel-Ready Designation

(Rock County, WI) – Rock County 5.0 announced on October 8, 2013 that Milton’s Crossroads Business Park has earned the Austin Consulting shovel-ready site designation. As an indicator of barrier-free and speed-to-market processes, a shovel-ready designation is increasingly playing a larger role in today’s build-to-suit development environment. With the addition of the Crossroads Business Park’s designation, Rock County has approximately 600-acres of independently recognized shovel-ready property – one of the largest concentrations throughout Wisconsin.

“As the City of Milton prepares to leverage the opportunities created by the recently completed STH 26 / STH 59 Bypass, this shovel-ready designation will fulfill an important supportive role with regards to the development of the Crossroads Business Park”, said Jerry Schuetz, Milton City Administrator. “The depth of information and related processes that have been clearly identified throughout this designation process will enable the City to effectively, as well as efficiently, address the Park’s development needs”, said Schuetz.

Frank Spano, Managing Director of Austin Consulting added, “The shovel-ready designation process resembles the exact same methodology that businesses deploy when conducting their site selection processes. By utilizing the tools contained within a community’s shovel-ready report, prospective end users can significantly decrease the amount of time, expense and risk typically attributed to the property due diligence phases.”

According to James Otterstein, Rock County Economic Development Manager, “These independent, third party designations drive home the County’s value proposition by reinforcing our Economic Development Team’s speed-to-market responsiveness.”

This is the fourth shovel-ready project undertaken between Rock County 5.0 and a Rock County community. Rock County 5.0 is a five-year public / private economic development initiative designed to reposition and revitalize Rock County’s economy. The initiative’s efforts are focused on the following five economic development strategies: Business Retention & Expansion, Business & Investment Attraction, Small Business & Entrepreneurship, Real Estate Positioning and Workforce Profiling.

For additional Rock County 5.0 information, visit www.rockcounty5.com .

City of Milton Agendas - Week of October 7, 2013

Agenda packets for meetings the week of October 7th are available and have been posted to the City of Milton website.

Meetings for the week of October 7th include:

• Common Council Budget Workshop - Tuesday, October 8, 2013 at 6 p.m.
• Broker & Developer Breakfast Briefing - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 7:30 a.m. at Ott Schweitzer, 616 Gateway Drive.
• Community Development Authority - Thursday, October 10, 2013 at 5:30 p.m
• Common Council Budget Workshop - Thursday, October 10, 2013 at 6 p.m.

Reminder: The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Police Department, Municipal Court, and City Hall will take place on Tuesday, October 8, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. at the former Dean Clinic building, 710 S. Janesville Street. 

Electronic Recycling Collection – October 12, 2013

The City of Milton, School District of Milton, Milton Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC), Piggly Wiggly, and the Milton Youth Coalition are hosting an Electronic Recycling Collection to benefit the Milton Youth Coalition on October 12, 2013 from 8 a.m. to Noon in the Piggly Wiggly front parking lot, 727 S. Janesville Street, Milton, WI. DP Electronic Recycling out of Elkhorn, WI will be collecting all of the electronics and properly disposing of the hazardous components, and they will donate $0.01 / lb to the Milton Youth Coalition.

DP Electronic Recycling recycles anything that plugs into the wall or runs on batteries, including appliances. There will be a $5 charge for each CRT TV or Monitor – everything else is free. DP Electronic Recycling wipes all data stored on hard drives to the standards provided by the Department of Defense.

For additional information contact City Administrator Jerry Schuetz at (608) 868-6900 or by e-mail at jschuetz@milton-wi.gov.

Electronic Recycling Event Flyer

Press Release - Burglary on October 1st

Below is a press release from Milton Police Chief Dan Layber.



On Tuesday, October 1st at approximately 3:46 PM the City of Milton Police Department received a report of a burglary in progress in the 300 block of College Street in Milton. Officers responded to the scene and made contact with the homeowner who stated that they observed an unknown male exit the rear door of their residence as they arrived home. The homeowner attempted to detain the male but he rode away on a bike and fled the area. In checking their residence, they did not discover any missing items. It is believed that the male observed the homeowner arrive home and fled the house to avoid detection and/or capture. 

The male is described as white, possibly high school age, wearing blue jeans, black shirt, and black hat. He is described as about 5’9”, average to thin build. The subject fled the area on a BMX type bicycle, possibly dark blue in color. He fled the area north on Rogers Street and west on E. Madison Avenue. 

The Milton Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance with identifying this subject.

Individuals that come forward with information that leads to the arrest of the subject responsible for this crime are eligible for a cash reward through Janesville Area Crimestoppers. Individuals with tips can remain anonymous. If you have information regarding this incident please contact the Milton Police Department at 757-2244 or Janesville Area Crimestoppers at 756-3636. Anonymous tips can also be sent via text to CRIMES (274637), then enter JACS, plus your message.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Police Department / Municipal Court / City Hall Facility

Mayor Brett J. Frazier and the City of Milton Common Council are inviting the community to attend and celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony for the City’s new police department, municipal court, and city hall. The ceremony details are as listed below:

GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY DETAILS 

WHAT: Groundbreaking Ceremony for new City of Milton Police Department/Municipal Court/City Hall Facility

WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 8th, 2013 at 5:30 pm

WHERE: 710 S. Janesville Street (former Dean Clinic building)

At their regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 1st, the Common Council awarded the construction contract for the project to Magill Construction out of Elkhorn. The project’s design was completed by Angus Young Associates from Janesville. Construction is scheduled to begin the first full week in October, and take approximately 8 months to complete.

We hope the community will joint our elected officials and staff as we commemorate this exciting moment in our City’s proud history.

Press Release - Officer Jim Martin Testified at a Public Hearing about Cyberbullying

Below is a press release from Milton Police Chief Dan Layber.

Yesterday, October 3, 2013, Officer Jim Martin of the City of Milton Police Department testified at a public hearing at the Wisconsin State Capitol, in the Senate Chambers, in support of Senate Bill 184 which addresses cyberbullying in schools. 

• SB 184 requires that the Department of Public Instruction’s model policy on bullying include cyberbullying. 

• Under current law, sending a threatening/abusive email is a Class B misdemeanor. This bill expands current law to include the posting of a threatening/abusive electronic message (via Facebook, Twitter, etc.) as a Class B Misdemeanor. 

• Under current law, any person who sends an obscene/lewd/profane email is subject to a fine of up to $1,000. This bill expands current law to include the posting of obscene/lewd/profane material or language (via Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

State Senator Tim Cullen is the sponsor of this legislation that will enhance state law in regard to electronic use of social media sites to threaten others and those who post obscene/lewd/profane messages. In this day and age, negative postings on sites such as Facebook and Twitter has greatly expanded and this enhanced legislation will give law enforcement extra tools to deal with these issues. Officer Martin is the School Resource Officer at Milton High School and has had many dealings with these issues throughout his years in the schools. We hope that his expert testimony will help move this bill along towards passage.