Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry will sit down Monday, August 3, with the mayors of all 14 other Fulton County cities and the Board of Commissioners in a rare joint session at the Fulton County Government Center in Atlanta.

The meeting, announced Friday, July 31, by Fulton County Government on X, will take place on the 3rd floor of the Government Center at 141 Pryor St. No start time has been published. Residents can watch live via FGTV on the county website or YouTube.

The session comes one day before a Superior Court hearing at 4 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, on the county's petition to authorize interim 2026 property tax collection. That petition, approved by the Board of Commissioners on July 15, is the county's attempt to keep tax bills flowing despite an unfinished tax digest caused by a backlog of 292 unprocessed land packages representing roughly 1,000 parcels. The backlog traces to a single county employee being trained on Esri, the mapping system that links parcels to tax records.

What's at stake for Johns Creek

If the court grants the order, property owners countywide would be billed by August 15 and owe payment by October 15, but at the 2025 millage rate rather than a yet-to-be-determined 2026 rate. A second notice would follow once the final rate is set, potentially requiring an additional payment or triggering a refund.

Without the order, Fulton County risks missing debt payments, being unable to pay employees, and seeing its credit rating threatened, according to Appen Media reporting. Cities and the school system also risk losing access to tax revenue they need to operate.

Johns Creek's 2025 market value stood at $22.2 billion, one of the largest tax bases among Fulton County's 15 cities. The Johns Creek City Council was scheduled to vote July 27 on whether to join the county's interim collection petition, as we reported July 30. The outcome of that vote has not been confirmed.

Frustration already on the record

Commissioner Bob Ellis described the digest delay as unacceptable in a July 24 Appen Media report, saying the county failed at its core responsibility and that the failure "impacts us and all of our jurisdictions." Commissioner Bridget Thorne, in the same article, pointed to the school system's bind: "They're blindly having to set budgets … And they have all these implications with new tax breaks for seniors."

Fulton County Schools faces a $56.9 million budget gap and depends on the tax digest to set its own millage rate. Local tax revenue accounts for more than 60% of the district's budget.

How to watch

The joint session will stream on FGTV via the Fulton County website and YouTube. No formal agenda has been published. The Superior Court hearing follows at 4 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, in the Superior Court of Fulton County.