2015 Dog and Cat Licenses Due April 1st

Residents of the City of Milton are reminded that Dog and Cat licenses are due on or before April 1, 2015.

• Spayed or neutered dogs and cats: $8.00 
• Non-spayed or non-neutered dogs and cats: $15.00

Dog and Cat owners must present a current rabies certificate when they purchase the licenses. Licenses purchased after April 1, 2015 will be assessed a $10.00 late fee per animal. 

City Hall is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. Residents can also place a copy of their rabies vaccination information and the required fee in the payment drop box located in front of City Hall, 710 S. Janesville Street, and staff will mail a receipt and the license.

If you have any questions, please call City Hall at (608) 868-6900.

Outdoor Warning System: Siren Testing – April 1, 2015

Sheriff Spoden reminds all Rock County citizens that the monthly testing of the Outdoor Warning System resumes in April and continues through October. The sirens are tested at 12:05 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month unless Rock County is threatened with inclement weather at the time. In the event there is a chance of inclement weather, siren testing will be postponed until 12:05 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month.

The Rock County Outdoor Warning System will resume monthly siren tests on April 1, 2015 at 12:05 p.m. The test signal will be 1 - 2 minutes in duration. Please tune in to your local radio stations or weather radios for all weather related information and instructions when the sirens are sounded.

In the event of an actual tornado warning, the sirens sound steadily for three to five minutes. This lengthy alert tone will indicate that citizens should immediately take shelter and tune in to local broadcasting stations or weather radios for further information.

Test Signal vs. Tornado Warning

• Test Signal: Steady tone lasting 1 – 2 minutes 
• Tornado Warning: Steady tone lasting 3 – 5 minutes 

Citizens are reminded that they should not call the Rock County 911 Communications Center or local radio stations for weather information. If citizens find that the siren in their area is not working properly, please contact the Rock County Sheriff’s Office – Emergency Management Bureau at 608-758-8440. For further information on the Outdoor Warning System, please visit www.co.rock.wi.us/emergency-management-alerts-warnings.

ROBERT D. SPODEN 

SHERIFF 

By: Sgt. Shena Kohler #11519 

Emergency Management 

Voter ID and Absentee Voting Information

Voter ID Information

According to a press release from the State of Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Wisconsin voters will not be required to show a photo ID to vote at the April 7, 2015 Spring Election. The U.S. Supreme Court today (March 23rd) cleared the way for enforcement of Wisconsin’s 2011 voter ID law, but because the Spring Election is two weeks away, the Attorney General has advised state election officials not to implement it at the April 7 election."

Read more by following this link: http://gab.wi.gov/node/3580.


Absentee Voting Information

In-person Absentee Voting starts today, March 23rd, and will continue through April 3, 2015. If you would like to vote absentee, please come to City Hall located at 710 S. Janesville Street. City Hall office hours are 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Friday. City Hall will have extended hours on Friday, April 3, 2015 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Registration Forms for 2015 Milton Independence Day Parade Available Now

Registration forms to participate in the 2015 Milton Independence Day Parade are now available at Milton City Hall, 710 S. Janesville Street, and on the City of Milton website (www.milton-wi.gov/ParadeRegistration).  The Milton Independence Day Parade will take place on Saturday, July 4, 2015 at 1 p.m.

The 2015 parade theme is “Milton – Then & Now.”  First, Second, and Third Place awards will be presented to parade participants for “Best Use of Theme.”

In an effort to assist with planning for the event, participants are asked to submit completed applications to City Hall by noon on June 19, 2015.  In the interest of animal safety and to comply with requirements from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, parade entries with horses will be required to show documentation of the current Coggins test during parade line up on July 4th in order to participate in the parade. All motorized vehicles must be driven by a licensed driver.  Parade officials will ask to see proof of a valid driver license during the parade line up on July 4th.

The Celebrate Milton Committee is also looking for volunteers to help at the parade by lining up parade participants.  If you are interested, please contact Inga Cushman at 868-6900 or by e-mail at icushman@milton-wi.gov.

For additional information contact Inga Cushman, Assistant to the City Administrator, at 608-868-6900 or by e-mail at icushman@milton-wi.gov.

City of Milton Meetings - Week of March 23rd

Please visit our website for the packets for the following city meetings scheduled for the week of March 23rd:

• Library Board – Wednesday, March 25th at 7:00 p.m.
• Tourism Development Committee – Thursday, March 26th at 8:30 a.m.

Also next week:

• MACC Mayoral Candidate Forum – Monday, March 23rd at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers located at City Hall, 710 S. Janesville Street.

Historic Preservation Commission to Host Webinar: Archival Preservation Best Practices

The City of Milton Historic Preservation Commission will be hosting a viewing of a variety of Local History Webinar Workshops presented by the Wisconsin Historical Society this spring.  The first webinar called “Archival Preservation Best Practices” will take place on Thursday, March 26, 2015 from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the Council Chambers located at City Hall, 710 S. Janesville Street.  A full schedule of the webinars that will be offered will be available at a later date, and the viewing of the webinars is free to the public.

“Archival Preservation Best Practices” will introduce attendees to the best practices for preservation of collections.  It will review what to consider when looking for storage space, how to store multiple types of collections in one place, and introduce some low-cost items that can improve your collection care.

For additional information contact Inga Cushman, at 608-868-6900 or by e-mail at icushman@milon-wi.gov.

City of Milton Community Garden

The City of Milton Community Garden has 20 feet by 25 feet (500 square feet) plots available for resident to use after obtaining a $10 permit from the Department of Public Works.    The Community Garden is located in the rear or west end of the Milton Cemetery off Janesville Street.  The garden opens on May 1st of every year.

The Community Garden Rules, Regulations, and Permit Application are available on the City’s website, at City Hall (710 S. Janesville Street), and the Public Works Garage (150 Northside Drive).

For additional information, contact Brenda Mathews, Administrative Assistant, or Howard Robinson, Director of Public Works, at 608-868-6914 or by e-mail at bmathews@milton-wi.gov or hrobinson@milton-wi.gov, respectively.

Rock County Clean Sweep 2015

Looking for a safe and affordable way to dispose of hazardous materials?

Consider using Rock County's Clean Sweep program. Follow this link to the Rock County Land Conservation - Clean Sweep webpage for more details: www.co.rock.wi.us/land-conservation-clean-sweep.

The dates and locations for 2015 are:

• Friday, June 12, 12 pm - 3 pm at City of Milton Public Works garage, 150 Northside Dr., Milton WI 53563
• Saturday, June 13, 8 am - 12 pm at City of Beloit Public Works garage, 2351 Springbrook Ct., Beloit WI 53511
• Friday, August 21, 12 pm - 3 pm at City of Evansville Public Works garage, 535 S. Madison St., Evansville WI 53536
• Saturday, August 22, 8 am - 12 pm at Rock County Public Works garage, 3715 Newville Rd., Janesville WI 53545

If you have any questions about the program, contact Rock County Land Conservation at (608) 754-6617 ext. 118.

First Community Bank in Milton will also be hosting their Annual Community Shred Day Event on June 13th from 9 a.m. to noon.  The event is free, but they will be collecting donations for the Milton Food Pantry.

Wisconsin’s Tornado & Severe Weather Awareness Week - April 13-17, 2015

Listen, Act and Live! Those words could protect you and your family during severe storm season. Listening to warnings and seeking shelter immediately will save lives. That’s why Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), ReadyWisconsin, the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (WBA) have teamed up for Wisconsin’s Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week from April 13-17, 2015.

Did you know that… 

• Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes annually. 
• In 2014, 22 tornadoes were reported in Wisconsin by the National Weather Service. Eighteen of those tornadoes occurred in June. The strongest tornado in 2014 occurred on June 17 when an EF 3 tornado hit Verona in Dane County. At least 30 homes were damaged as well as the Country View Elementary School. The tornado traveled about a mile, had wind speeds of 136 to 165 mph and was on the ground for several minutes. An EF 2 touched down that same night in Platteville in Grant County. Several homes and businesses were damaged including the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. 
• In 2013, 16 tornadoes touched down in Wisconsin including six tornadoes during the overnight hours of August 6-7. An EF 2 struck near New London in Waupaca and Outagamie counties injuring two people and caused millions of dollars in damage. 

On Thursday, April 16, 2015, a statewide tornado drill is planned. At 1:00 p.m., the National Weather Service will issue a statewide mock tornado watch and at 1:45 p.m. a statewide mock tornado warning. Many radio and TV stations will participate in the drill. In addition, NOAA weather radios (also known as emergency weather radios) will issue alert messaging. This is an ideal opportunity for schools, businesses and families to practice safe procedures for severe weather.

Important: The tornado drill will take place even if the sky is cloudy, dark and/or rainy. If actual severe storms are expected in the state on Thursday April 16, the tornado drill will be postponed until Friday, April 17 with the same times. If severe storms are possible Friday the drill will be cancelled. Any changes will be issued to local media as well as posted on the ReadyWisconsin website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Please see the attachment for additional maps and information. More information is also posted at http://readywisconsin.wi.gov. If you need further information, please contact your county or tribal emergency management director or Tod Pritchard at tod.pritchard@wisconsin.gov or 608-242-3324.

Tornado 2015 Media Packet.pdf

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 8, 2015

Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday as we “spring forward" and set clocks ahead one hour. Daylight Saving Time 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 - Nearly 2,700 people die and more than 15,000 are injured each year because of fires that started in their homes. Now is the time to 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. In most cases, the batteries are dead or missing. This is a great time to put fresh batteries in your smoke detector. You should also replace the entire smoke alarm unit every 8 to 10 years.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors - Just last month, 30 people were checked and treated for carbon monoxide poisoning when the gas filled a Park Falls movie theater. In December, several people became ill in a Wisconsin Dells ice arena due to a malfunctioning ice resurface machine. According to the Centers for Disease Control, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States with more than 200 killed each year from overexposure to the gas. Never use gas or charcoal grills inside your home or an unventilated garage. Make sure you have CO Detectors and they are working. Now is also a good time to check and replace batteries in those units.

Emergency Kits - Daylight Savings Time is a perfect time to get a kit and if you already have a kit, check to make sure food and other items are not near or past their expiration dates. You should have supplies 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.

Emergency NOAA Weather Radio - Spring brings the threat of tornadoes and severe weather. Make sure you have an emergency weather radio. It’s like having a tornado siren in your home. When it goes off, go to a safe place. Listen, Act and Live!

For more tips on how to prepare you and your family, please go to our website: http://readywisconsin.wi.gov. You’ll find great information on how to get a kit and make a plan when disaster strikes.