At a special‑called meeting, the Milton City Council unanimously approved a land acquisition and several related task orders to support a planned effluent disposal system that city staff said is needed to comply with an FDEP administrative order.

City staff presented a due‑diligence report saying the parcel under contract is part of a larger 320‑acre tract and was described during the meeting (as read aloud) with a range of acreage figures; staff said three appraisals were obtained and the highest appraisal for the partial interest was $1,450,000. Staff told the council the agreed price is $6,900 per acre; after a survey the city expects to purchase roughly 247.35 acres for a projected purchase price of $1,706,715 plus fees, commissions and closing costs. Funding for the purchase was identified as water and sewer reserves; the city attorney advised the purchase requires a supermajority vote (six) to approve.

A presiding official recorded a motion by Councilman Farrow, a second by Councilman McKee and announced the measure was "unanimously approved." The item was introduced in the meeting transcript as agenda item read aloud as "20 20 five‑three 741" and described in the meeting as the effluent disposal system land‑acquisition item.

The council also approved a BDI design task order for the disposal/irrigation system, a pipeline rerouting task order intended to reduce pump and lift‑station costs, and an RFP to clear the spray fields and the newly acquired property so installation work can begin. Council members and staff discussed routing the effluent line up Airport Road and Stagecoach Road to the prison lift station, adding a new pump station and then following an existing right‑of‑way to the new plant. One council member recalled an earlier estimate of about $1,000,000 in savings from the reroute; staff said savings are primarily in the lift‑station and pump horsepower requirements.

On technical details, Mr. Cook, who spoke for operations, said there is little comparably priced land nearby and that pipe costs to reach more distant parcels would be high — "a million dollars a mile." He also said the combined property holdings would provide a minimum capacity of 2,500,000 gallons per day, and that DEP might approve a larger capacity after the system is in operation. Staff said the city reserves the option to add a rapid infiltration basin if DEP approves and it performs better than the spray fields.

Public commenters supported the purchase. Mitchell of Milton urged the council to buy the parcel immediately "before the state jumps in and buys it," saying soils and proximity make it uniquely suitable. Dave Samples of East Milton told the council he would forward Florida DEP’s annual reuse report and said, "with a type 3 or class 3 effluent, you've got gold here, folks," urging the city to consider reuse options as a long‑term revenue source.

What happens next: the council approved the land purchase and the three task orders during the special meeting and moved into the scheduled work session. Staff will complete the survey to define final acreage and proceed with closing and the contracted design, reroute and land‑clearing work.

Votes at a glance: the council recorded unanimous approval for the land acquisition (moved by Councilman Farrow, seconded by Councilman McKee), unanimous approval for the BDI design task order (moved by Councilman Hawthorne, seconded by Councilman Cusack), unanimous approval for the pipeline rerouting task order (moved by Councilman Powell, seconded by Councilman McKee) and unanimous approval for the land‑clearing RFP (moved by Councilman Powell, seconded by Councilman Cusack).