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Milton staff brief council on administration, finance, planning and public works projects
Summary
Department leads described staffing and services: administration and outreach contacts, finance audit timing and the utility‑billing focus, planning's use of third‑party reviewers, and public works projects including Oak Street design, asset mapping and a robotic mower bought with a state grant.
City staff gave council an overview of key departments and current projects during a study session intended to familiarize new council members with operations and points of contact.
Angelie Stalnecker, planning manager, began with administration: Mayor Bruce White, city clerk Trisha (and deputy clerk Nikki) and community outreach coordinator Jessica are primary contacts for records, licenses and communications. Stalnecker said she will circulate a slide deck and that the administration team handles human resources, public records and recreation rentals.
Finance staff (identified in the meeting as Michelle and an interim finance director referenced as Robek) told council the finance department is a five‑person unit primarily focused on utility billing, accounts payable, payroll, annual budgets and the financial audit. Michelle said the State Auditor's Office is completing the 2024 financial statement audit and an accountability audit covering 2022–2024.
Chief Hernandez provided the police overview. He described a department of 16 sworn officers, a mix of specialized staff including translators and detectives, and a range of interagency contracts. Hernandez said the city contracts court services with Puyallup (about $400,000) and currently pays roughly $275,000 a year for dispatch through South Sound 911. He also described the camera program (its first year) and said staff will continue to monitor revenues and violation counts.
Planning and building services are supported by a small in‑house team (inspector Robert Flint; permit technician Jaden Ripley) and on‑call third‑party reviewers for specialized plan review (WC3/WC‑3 and outside engineering and biological consultants). Stalnecker noted the planning commission’s advisory role and an upcoming work plan discussion at the next meeting.
Public works director Dustin Madden summarized a 23‑FTE department that covers water distribution, stormwater, streets, parks, facilities, assets and fleet. Madden described an Oak Street project in design that will add diagonal parking and a sidewalk extension to the school; an asset management move from Cartograph to OpenGov; use of on‑call engineering partners; and a robotic remote‑controlled mower purchased with a Department of Ecology capacity grant that reduced staff needs on steep slopes.
Councilors asked for copies of the police metrics and camera program reports, and requested clearer website guidance for reaching public works staff during emergencies. Staff agreed to share slide decks and the referenced reports.
No budgetary or policy decisions were taken during the overview presentations.
