Milton council debates whether city money should fund Milton High NJROTC; members split over scope and limits

Milton councilors and members of the public spent the bulk of a work session debating whether the city should use discretionary funds to support Milton High School’s NJROTC program.

The item began as a request, previously briefed at a workshop, for a contribution toward travel, iPads and other expenses. Staff said the council’s discretionary fund was replenished Oct. 1 to $20,000 total — $2,000 per council member and $4,000 for the mayor — and that no expenditures had yet been made from it.

“I'm just not comfortable with using discretionary funds for this,” said a member of the council (speaker 15), arguing the city should not be responsible for funding the school program. Multiple residents echoed that concern during public comment, saying the city could open itself to requests from other extracurricular groups.

Other council members and speakers urged a narrower approach. One councilor proposed restricting any city support to durable equipment such as iPads that remain with the unit beyond a single event, and branding devices so public investment is visible. Member comments repeatedly framed equipment purchases as preferable to underwriting travel costs. “If we’re going to do it, tie it to actual equipment that can be carried into the future,” a councilor said (speaker 11).

Public speakers described the NJROTC’s community contributions and financial constraints. An ROTC parent (speaker 20) said recent rezoning increased competition travel distances, forcing overnight stays and driving up lodging and meal costs. “They do things like put out pumpkins… they do fundraisers, but that is not enough to raise the significant cost,” the parent said.

Councilors suggested several possible responses: individual council members could make discretionary contributions from their allocated share; the council could earmark a portion of the $20,000 for durable equipment; or the city could research whether enterprise funds (for example, gas fund revenues) might be appropriate. One council member offered a $2,500 pledge from a natural-gas advertising account and asked others to match it.

On the specific question of making award conditions part of a grant, staff agreed to research existing documents and have the city attorney review any obligations tied to the static-display aircraft that appears in public remarks. Councilors did not take a final vote at the workshop; staff said the item will stay on the agenda for further discussion and that members could choose to apply their individual discretionary allocation if they preferred immediate action.

The council will reconvene later the same evening for its regular meeting, where consent items — including several other matters discussed at the workshop — will be handled.