Johns Creek ranks No. 1 on two best suburbs lists A u g u s t 8 , 2 0 2 4 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 2 8 , N o . 3 2
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Property tax rate to remain stable in Johns Creek
CIVIC DUTIES
Officials weigh proposal for developers to fund art By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Johns Creek Chief Building Official Sal Gaeta, left, speaks with Shelby Nguyen, a building inspector with the city, about their line of work at a home in the Bellmoore Park subdivision. That day, the pair reviewed in-progress construction for the addition of a sunroom.
Building inspectors ensure safety, consumer benefit By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — With years of experience in the construction industry, Johns Creek Building Inspector Shelby Nguyen knows pretty quickly whether a project is sound or needs fixing. Common violations are bolts or hangers, that sort of thing. “What generally bothers me most is when speaking with contractors coming
out here … saying, ‘Hey, you need to do XYZ,’ and they do XY, but not Z,” Nguyen said. “And, so I come back out, and I’m like, ‘Why aren’t you listening to me?’” One thing she really likes about the job is that every day is different, and that she gets to split her time between the indoors and fresher air. Nguyen covers both commercial and residential properties, and within each, mechanical, electrical and plumbing work.
This training is typical for a building inspector nowadays, a role that requires certification. Back in the day, Chief Building Official Sal Gaeta said there were more trade inspectors, and that larger cities continue with that model, like the City of Atlanta, due to the complexity of its commercial developments. But, in Johns Creek, Gaeta said it can’t be that granular.
See CIVIC, Page 20
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — In a split vote July 29, the Johns Creek City Council opted to carry the millage rate from last fiscal year into 2025, instead of adopting the lower rollback rate. The rate will remain 3.646 mills. Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry and city councilmembers Chris Coughlin and Dilip Tunki, advocates of the rollback rate at 3.516 mills, cast the dissenting votes. A rollback rate refers to the millage rate which would collect the same amount of money as the previous year by taxing property, which typically increases in value, at a lower percentage. One mill generates $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value, which by state law, is 40 percent of a property’s real – or fair market – value. A home that is worth $100,000 on the market would have a taxable value of $40,000, and a levy of 1 mill would cost the homeowner $40 in taxes. Property taxes account for about onethird of the city’s revenue base. City Councilman Bob Erramilli described the potential consequence of rolling back the millage rate as a “sacrifice” of services. Erramilli said the average family would pay $34 less in taxes with the rollback rate.
See TAX, Page 21