City of Milton Announces 1st Quarter Success of The Innovation Express

Mayor Frazier and the City of Milton Common Council are pleased to report the 1st quarter success of the community’s investment into the Innovation Express. The Innovation Express is a jointly funded bus services that transports people to the Cities of Milton, Janesville and Whitewater. According to Janesville Transit System records, Milton passengers boarding at locations outside the Piggly Wiggly pick-up and drop off increased by a whopping 411% with 435 rides taken during the first quarter of 2014 compared to just 85 last year. 

Mayor Brett Frazier commented on the first quarter report by stating "The Innovation Express was a priority for the City of Milton. Public transportation is an important component of economic and community development for our City and the Council and I felt confident that, if given time, ridership would validate our investment in the program. Obviously these numbers bear that out and we still have the opening of the Blackhawk Technical College’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Center coming later this summer."

Despite a reduction in the number of trips due to the loss of a federal grant, the City of Milton was among the first of the regional stakeholders to commit to an increased investment in the service, and increased its budget contribution from $15,000 in 2013 to just over $27,000 to continue the service in 2014. Mayor Frazier traveled to Whitewater and encouraged their Council to continue an investment, and through the continued efforts of JTS Director Dave Mumma, the University of Wisconsin Whitewater has also continued to promote and invest in this regional service. The thoughts behind the regional approach to the service is that it affords all three communities the opportunity for people to connect to the regional assets and employment opportunities that each community has. Mayor Frazier went on to state "We can talk about the economic benefits of this service, but the Innovation Express is also helping citizens of Milton connect to resources like doctors and shopping in Janesville and education in Whitewater. I believed as Mayor that this service was not just a value to our employers, but also to our citizens as they seek to take advantage of the benefits of the high quality of life in Milton while still accessing the amenities of other communities."

City of Milton Agendas - Week of April 28th

Agenda packets for the week of April 28th are available and have been posted to the City of Milton website.

Meetings for the week of April 28th include:

• Historic Preservation Commission – Wednesday, April 30th, at 6 p.m.
• Zoning Board of Appeals – Thursday, May 1st, at 6 p.m.

Milton Area Veterans Memorial Brick Orders Due April 25, 2014

The Parks & Recreation Commission determined at their April 21, 2014 meeting that orders for bricks for the Milton Area Veterans Memorial received after Friday, April 25, 2014 will not be included in the dedication ceremony on July 5, 2014 at 2 p.m. Brick orders received after that date will be placed in late July. In addition, prices will go up by $10 for each brick size for all orders placed after April 25, 2014 in order to cover the additional costs to lay the brick after the official dedication ceremony. Below shows the prices before and after April 25, 2014:

On or Before April 25, 2014

• 8x8 - $75
• 16x8 - $125
• 16x16 - $225

After April 25, 2014

• 8x8 - $85
• 16x8 - $135
• 16x16 - $235

If you have any questions, please contact City Administrator Jerry Schuetz at (608) 868-6900 or by e-mail at jschuetz@milton-wi.gov.

Community Shred Day - May 3, 2014

Mark your Calendars!  First Community Bank, 202 Merchant Row, will be holding their annual Community Shred Day on Saturday, May 3rd, from 9 a.m. to Noon in the parking lot across the street from the bank.

This event is free.  Donations to the Milton Food Pantry are appreciated, but not required.  Paper must be dry to be shredded.

City of Milton Agendas - Week of April 21st

Agenda packets for the week of April 21st , 2014 are available and have been posted to the City of Milton website.

Meetings for the week of April 21st include:

• Parks & Recreation Commission - Monday, April 21st, 6 p.m.
• Economic Development Commission - Tuesday, April 22nd, at 10 a.m.
• Joint Fire Commission - Wednesday, April 23rd, at 7 p.m.
• Tourism Development Committee - Thursday, April 24th, at 8:30 a.m.
• Library Board - Thursday, April 24th, at 7 p.m.

Just a reminder – City offices are closed tomorrow, Friday, April 18th, to observe Good Friday.

City of Milton Ends Recommendation to Run Water

Effective April 15, 2014, the City of Milton Water Utility Department has officially lifted its recommendation to run a small pencil sized stream of water in your homes to prevent freezing. Water temperatures and the ground temperature has warmed up enough for which the risk of pipes freezing has been reduced. Utility customers will only get a credit for running their water through April 15, 2014.

We appreciate your cooperation with this recommendation, and again advise all utility customers to stop running a constant stream of water immediately.

For more information about the recommendation, please contact City Administrator Jerry Schuetz at 608-868-6900 or jschuetz@milton-wi.gov

City of Milton announces “Mayor/Council Member for a Day” program

Mayor Brett Frazier and the City of Milton Common Council, in an effort to engage the youth of our community in our governance, are pleased to announce a new youth program entitled the City of Milton’s “Mayor and Council Member for a Day."  The program is designed to be a hands-on experience for young children in grades K-6 that exposes them to government service and provides an opportunity for them to express their ideas, views, and opinions on the current operations and future of our community. The program specifics are as follows:

CONTESTANTS: Anyone in grades K-6 is eligible to participate. Contestants are asked to submit in writing and in their own words, their responses to the following two essay questions:

1. What do you like about living in the City of Milton?
2. What would you do to make Milton better?

The essay responses are due to City Hall by Friday, May 9, 2014 at 4 p.m. Responses should be limited to no more than 2 pages in length.

Essays will be reviewed by the Mayor and the City’s management team, and winners from the program’s contestants will be announced on Friday, May 9, 2014. One lucky winner will get to serve with Mayor Frazier for a day and participate in City of Milton management team meetings, sit in on budget development discussions, and get hands on experiences in tours of all five of the City’s service providing departments, which include the City’s Public Works Department, Public Library, City Hall, the Police Department, and the jointly owned City and Town of Milton Fire Department on Tuesday, May 20, 2014.

The day will conclude with the other six winners of the contest, who will serve with our Council members in shadowing our elected officials at their regularly scheduled May 20, 2014 Council meeting, followed by a pizza party for all the winners. For more information about the program, please contact City Administrator Jerry Schuetz at 608-868-6900 or jschuetz@milton-wi.gov