Milton Minute: Town clerk celebrates first 100 days in office

Milton town council met Tuesday, April 9, with all members and several guests present.

Town clerk Amy Smith shared several accomplishments to mark her first 100 days in office:

• Started the year with $28,945.76 in delinquent water, sewage and trash billing and has successfully collected nearly $25,000 with most of the remainder signing agreements to pay an additional amount each month till they are paid up.
• Worked closely with police and fire departments to ensure they have what they need to safely serve our community.
• Updated work environment to create a more secure office, including a complete IT systems overhaul and security upgrade, after identifying multiple security incidents and intrusions.
• Also, working on updating Employee Handbook and town ordinance book, both of which will be an ongoing process, moving forward.

Water update

• Smith provided an update regarding the new water meters, explaining that 144 electronic meters have been installed and will be read this month. She and deputy clerk Heather Reece have been working with the new program to get everyone’s information included in the new system and connected to the correct accounts and amounts due.
  “We do understand this has been a difficult process this month,” Amy Smith noted, “but we are working extensively with Kamstrup [meter company] to get the correct charges to all residents. Please be patient, we only want this to be right from the start.”
  As a result of the process, deposit of water bill payments by check was delayed last month and receipt of water bills has been delayed this month. Residents will not be charged a late fee because the bills themselves are behind schedule.
• Smith also noted that the water bills have not been billed correctly as they have not included a “right to serve fee” as was approved by an ordinance a few years ago. According to her calculations, approximately $99,000 in revenue was lost in 2023 — money that could have covered the cost of repairs and maintenance.
  During the meeting, it was explained the right to serve fee will add approximately $20 to a minimum monthly water bill. Smith later clarified to the WWN that number is a low estimate, saying the amount could fluctuate depending on the size of the meter. According to an ordinance update from July 2023, the fee could reach $36.21 per month.
  Smith feels this is necessary to comply with the ordinance and provide funding for future repairs and maintenance. Council members speculated that if the water system is not properly maintained, then it could be sold to an outside corporation and service outsourced, with the town no longer having control over the system, maintenance or billing or any other costs. 
  No action was taken until more information could be obtained.

Other news

• Council member Dwight Smith is attempting to track down and correspond with the responsible party regarding rough rail road crossings in town.
• Donations are still being collected for the Milton park project. Mail to Town of Milton, P.O. Box 398, Milton, IN 47357, or donate online at https://wwn.to/miltonplayground. Be sure to indicate the park project in the memo line of your check. Contact clerk-treasurer Amy Smith at 478-3818 or email miltonclerktreasurer@yahoo.com for more details.
• Dwight Smith reported that plans for the upcoming bicentennial celebration are moving along and will include five guest speakers and a food truck. Town will need a permit from INDOT for the banner over State Road 1. Coffee mugs are available at the clerk’s office for a $10 donation each; proceeds benefit the park project.
• Council members recently held an ordinance violation bureau meeting to help mediate an ordinance violation complaint. The resident has 90 days to continue cleanup efforts or he will be found in violation and the process will move to the Hagerstown court.
• Indiana Volunteer Firefighters Association (IVFA) is selling raffle tickets statewide for a full size truck; tickets are available for purchase at the clerk’s office. Each fire department that sells a prerequisite number of tickets will be entered to win 1/10th of the proceeds.
• As summer approaches, residents are reminded of the yard sale ordinance. Only three non-consecutive sales are allowed per year with a minimum of 30 days between sales. Yard sales can last a maximum of four days and sale items must be put away nightly.