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Residents urge more fields, question city spending during public comment
Summary
Two residents used the public‑comment period at the Jan. 6 Milton City Council meeting to criticize proposed city spending on school facilities and to press the council to prioritize active recreation fields in Deerfield and other parks.
Two residents addressed the Milton City Council during public comment on Jan. 6, 2025, urging the council to prioritize funding for public safety and active recreation fields and criticizing proposed facility spending tied to the Board of Education.
Tim Enloe of 13075 Bethany Road told the council that "the proposal to cover facility costs for the Fulton County Board of Education is beyond a misappropriation of our citizens' tax dollars," and questioned how the city could afford the expenditure given what he described as a previous $35,000,000 judgment the city lost on a winery lawsuit and a pending related case. Enloe told the council that "the Board of Education gets over 80% of our property tax" and said the board receives "1,000,000 in sponsor dollars." He urged shifting money to fire and police and suggested the question should go to a referendum.
Another speaker, who identified himself as John Monstead of 1575 Burdett Court, spoke about the Deerfield and Hopewell parks discussions and argued the city needs more active rectangular fields for youth sports. "This is what I see. This is my opinion," Monstead said. He told council members that many families he had asked were unaware of details about Deerfield and Hopewell but nonetheless said scheduling conflicts on fields had been an ongoing problem. Monstead urged the city to focus limited acreage — he referred to "23 precious acres" — on rectangles and larger play fields rather than amenities such as pickleball, tennis or basketball courts.
Monstead said he plans to attend and encourage other parents to attend upcoming public sessions staff are scheduling to gather community input on parks design. Council members did not take action on the remarks during the public‑comment period; the clerk closed general public comment after the two speakers.
The public‑comment period and speakers followed the council's stated rules (comment card required prior to an item being called). No formal council directive or vote resulted from the remarks during the meeting record.
