City Council Meets for First Time in New Year

Three city council members re-elected to office last November were sworn into their seats again at the Jan. 7 meeting. The Council also voted to re-elect City Councilwoman Bev Miller to serve again as Mayor Pro Tem.

Business License Renewals
Businesses in the City of Johns Creek have until March 31, 2008 to renew their business occupation tax certificates by submitting a renewal application along with full payment of all fees and taxes due. The City began mailing the renewal applications Dec. 1 and a second notice will be mailed in mid-February.

Failure to receive a renewal application does not relieve a business of its responsibility to pay the tax prior to the deadline. Late payments are subject to a 10 percent penalty and interest of 1.5 percent a month. Contact the Revenue Division, (678) 512-3200 for more information.

Stormwater Task Force Reports Findings
A city team that includes representatives from land management, community planning, public works and communications reported their second stage findings in their ongoing effort to meet compliance standards set by the state and regional water planning authorities.

The city passed its first inspection at the end of 2007 and is now able to collect a $40 portion of the “disturbed acre permit fee” previously paid to the state’s Environmental Planning Division (EPD).

Johns Creek has two bodies of “impaired” local water, including Johns Creek and the Chattahoochee River south of Medlock Bridge Road. Sewage spills from the Fulton County system may be to blame, said Mayor Mike Bodker.

The city’s next hurdle will be to finance water quality monitoring, stormwater infrastructure inventory, watershed improvement plans and developing total maximum daily load plans. City Council will need to appropriate funding for these areas and the timetable for completion is December 2008. The anticipated costs on these improvements will be approximately $175,000 per year for a four-year period.

The city will explore cost-sharing measures with other North Fulton cities.

Council Approves Bank Rate on TANs
Bank interest rate bids for the city’s Tax Anticipation Notes (TANs), a one-year borrowing mechanism against anticipated revenue collections, were accepted by the council at the Jan. 7 meeting.

Eighteen bid packages were sent out and four were returned. Bank of America returned the lowest bid, but the offer came two minutes after the bidding process closed. The city accepted the second-lowest bid of 3.22 percent from United Community Bank – the institution that provides the city’s day-to-day banking.

The difference between the BofA bid and United Community Bank was $18,000. The Mayor expressed his disappointment, in the additional cost to the city, but said the appropriate bid process had to be followed.

The 2007 TAN rate was 1.95 percent provided by Peachtree Bank. This year, Peachtree did not bid.

West Johns Creek to be Renamed to Hospital Parkway
Emory Johns Creek Hospital requested the street that fronts their facility be changed to better direct public safety personnel to emergency care.

“We have an identity problem,” said John Quinlivan, Emory Johns Creek CEO. “People can’t find us.”

Quinlivan said ambulances had been delayed and families couldn’t find their physicians. He said it was typical for health care facilities to have roads renamed to reflect the institutions and cited examples in DeKalb and Gwinnett. He reported that all nearby property owners agreed with the street name change.

Because of the urgency of public safety, the council agreed to make the street name change, but they also instructed Mike Williams, director of community planning for the city, to create a draft policy for street renamings.

Upcoming Schedule for Johns Creek Government Meetings
Mayor Mike Bodker will continue his Town Hall meeting series. The 2008 schedule includes: Mon., Jan. 28; Mon., March 3; Wed., May 7; Wed., Aug. 13; Tues., Sept. 2; and Mon., Nov. 3. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, third floor of City Hall, 12000 Findley Road.

Bodker will also give his State of the City address on Jan. 31 during the Johns Creek Area Council of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce meeting. The event will be held at Country Club of the South.

Johns Creek City Council will hold the first of four public hearings on the city's first Comprehensive Plan (now in development) at 7 p.m. on Jan. 14. The purpose of this hearing is to brief the community on potential issues and opportunities identified by the Community Assessment. Citizens will have the opportunity to comment.

City Hall will be closed Mon., Jan. 21 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday.