Cumming City Center
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City council OKs Rollback tax rate Resident seeks more details on proposed capital projects By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com MILTON, Ga. — In the coming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, Milton residents will see property tax bills based on the rollback tax rate of 4.389 mills. One mill brings in one dollar for every $1,000 of assessed property value. Residents with a $700,000 home and a basic homestead exemption will pay $21.20 less in taxes than if the city had adopted its advertised, current millage rate of 4.469 mills. The Milton City Council passed the new rate in a unanimous vote Aug. 21, which will provide the city the same revenue from property taxes as last year. Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison confirmed that the rollback rate would not affect the city’s level of service or capital projects, though Deputy City Manager Bernadette Harvill had said a higher rate of 4.395 mills most closely supports the fiscal year 2024 budget. “Two years in a row we’ve been able to reduce the millage rate,” Jamison said. Over the course of the city’s public hearings, including the last of three on Monday evening, there
See RATE, Page 12
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ELECTIONS CHIEF OUT
Milton replaces consultant after tumultuous 3 months By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com MILTON, Ga. — In a unanimous vote and without discussion, the Milton City Council fired its elections consultant Vernetta Nuriddin. Lavania White, who had been hired as one of three poll managers for the city’s November municipal election, will take her place as part of a $12,500 contract that ends Dec. 31. In an email, City Manager Steve Krokoff, who also serves as the city’s elections superintendent, said terminating Nuriddin’s contract was “for convenience” and was rooted in a “commitment to ensuring the best possible outcome for the city.” “Our focus has shifted from high-level planning to the crucial phase of polling preparation, where we are fortunate to draw upon a wealth of experience within our new team,” Krokoff said. Krokoff hired Nuriddin in late May, following a number of personal requests from City Councilman Rick Mohrig that he interview her. In an interview with Appen Media, Fulton County Commissioner Bridget Thorne also confirmed her support for Nuriddin as Milton’s election consultant. While Nuriddin holds election-related certifications and served on the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections as its vice chair, she did not meet the city’s minimum qualifications which includes experience as an elections superintendent. Nuriddin came before the council
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Vernetta Nuriddin, Milton’s former elections consultant, speaks to the City Council Aug. 21 on her tenuous relationship with City Manager Steve Krokoff, who is also serving as the city’s elections superintendent. Monday evening and said she had found out about her termination only hours before the meeting. In her comments, Nuriddin expressed disappointment in the agenda item and described a tenuous relationship with Krokoff. “My biggest regret is that me and Steve actually couldn’t get to a place where we could work together,” she said. Nuriddin also tossed in a few criticisms, such as the City Council’s May 1 resolution to implement two polling locations, rather than three. She says she reported City Attorney Ken Jarrard Aug. 15 to the Georgia State Bar because he allegedly drew up the resolution “improperly.” The council has since agreed to add a third polling location at the Milton Public Safety Complex on Ga. 9. An official vote on formalizing the third polling site
is scheduled for Sept. 6, following legal advertisement requirements. The other two locations are at Milton City Hall and the Community Center at Milton Park and Preserve. Nuriddin also said Deputy City Manager Stacey Inglis and City Clerk Tammy Lowit haven’t taken their oaths
See CONSULTANT, Page 10
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