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Town, city get back to work on boundary agreement

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MILTON — The city of Milton could double in size without opposition from the town of Milton under a boundary agreement being discussed Tuesday.

The proposed boundary agreement between the town and city of Milton has taken a back seat the past couple of years, but officials hope they're close to a final agreement.

The town board and city council will meet Tuesday for an update.

"Everybody just needs to be brought up to date," said Bryan Meyer, Milton town chairman.

The town and city agreed to send a preliminary agreement to the city attorney in August 2007. The city and town attorneys worked on it in the time since, but there haven't been major changes to the preliminary agreement, said David Moore, town attorney.

The agreement would shrink the area in the township over which the city has development control and define where the city can expand without town opposition.

Currently, the city has the right to approve or deny developments within 1½ miles of city limits. The agreement would limit that right to an area bounded by Interstate 90/39 to the west, Klug Road to the north, Vickerman Road to the east and Milton-Harmony Townline Road to the south.

In return, the town would agree to not oppose city annexation within that boundary.

City and town officials said the agreement could benefit both municipalities. More importantly, it would give township landowners clear guidance on what they can do with their land, they said.

"The big winner here is property owners outside the new ‘line' that have desired greater rural development of their properties but faced (city-imposed) restrictions in the past," City Administrator Todd Schmidt wrote in an e-mail. "Plus, city and town officials will be able to communicate a clear, agreed-upon message to property owners with development questions in the future."

The agreement also builds goodwill between the town and city, officials said.

Officials will review the agreement at Tuesday's meeting because several elected officials have come and gone since the process began, Schmidt said. They will discuss ways to coordinate public input, probably including a public hearing, he said.

Meyer hopes the town and city can finalize the agreement in a few months, he said.

"We're definitely making progress on it," he said.