Residents press Milford council on access after State of the City; one speaker opposes planned Pride event

Several residents used the April 6 public-comment period to urge the council to increase accessibility and clarity around public engagement and to raise concerns about a planned Pride event.

Rachel Richardson of 907 Center thanked the council for recent transparency improvements but said the State of the City event "fell far short" because it initially required a $25 ticket and required public pressure to make it free. "Putting a $25 ticket price on it created a financial barrier between those who could afford to attend and those who could not," she told the council, and she urged more proactive outreach: mailed notices, project-specific webpages, surveys, hybrid or town-hall meetings, plain-language summaries and clear public-comment windows before decisions are made.

Richardson noted council members Chris Parish and Kathy Barney raised concerns about ticketing; she said that removing barriers had demonstrably increased turnout (she cited what she heard as 325 tickets sold) and urged the council to adopt more inclusive engagement processes for upcoming major decisions including the downtown extension project, downtown parking and River's Edge.

In a separate public comment, a resident who identified himself as Matthew (5614 Brooks Holding) urged council to prevent a planned Pride festival in Milford and cited religious objections. He asked council members to use whatever authority they have to stop the event, saying he believes children could be exposed and quoting scripture to warn of consequences.

Council members responded to the public comments by acknowledging steps already taken to increase outreach and by saying they will continue to refine engagement tools. The council did not take immediate action on either the engagement recommendations or the request concerning the Pride event during the meeting.