Johns Creek residents got their first look at the proposed FY2027 city budget Monday night, but anyone expecting a property tax vote went home without one.

Mayor John Bradberry's City Council held its first public hearing on the FY2027 budget at 7 p.m. Monday, July 27, at City Hall, 11360 Lakefield Drive. The millage rate hearing scheduled for the same evening was cancelled because the Fulton County Board of Assessors failed to finish the 2026 property assessment within the time required by Georgia law.

The fallout is simple. Under state law, no city can finalize its millage rate until it receives the complete preliminary digest and rollback forms from the county. A backlog of 292 unprocessed land packages left Fulton County's assessment unfinished, according to Appen Media, and a Superior Court hearing on the county's petition to allow interim tax collection is set for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4.

"You had one job and it didn't get done. That's a failure that impacts us and all of our jurisdictions," Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis said in the July 26 Appen Media report, referring to the assessors' office.

Assistant City Manager Kay Love told Appen Media that the Johns Creek council would vote July 27 on joining that court petition. The city has not confirmed the outcome of that vote.

What the millage rate means for homeowners

The proposed 2026 millage rate remains 3.492 mills, the same numerical rate the council adopted in 2025. But because the state-calculated rollback rate dropped to 3.297 mills — reflecting rising property values — the city must advertise the proposal as a 5.91 percent tax increase.

For a home with a fair market value of $625,000, that translates to roughly $47.58 more per year in city property taxes. Non-homestead properties at the same value would see about $48.75 more.

Johns Creek's taxable property digest grew from approximately $8.87 billion to $9.06 billion, according to the North Atlanta Star, meaning the city collects more revenue even without raising the rate.

What the work session covered

Earlier Monday, the council's 5 p.m. work session opened the first of three planned budget discussions, a 60-minute session that also covered landscaping and tree replanting policy and Convention & Visitors Bureau tourism development recommendations, according to the city's Granicus recording.

No specific dollar totals or departmental allocations from the proposed FY2027 budget have been made public in a readable format as of Wednesday, July 29.

What's next

A second and final public hearing on the FY2027 budget is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. at City Hall. No new date has been announced for the millage rate hearing.

Residents can submit comments to [email protected] or contact City Clerk Allison Tarpley's office at 678-512-3212.