PHOTOS
Thousands turn out in Halloween best for Johns Creek Trunk-or-Treat ► PAGES 14-15 O c t o b e r 3 1 , 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 . 4 4
Johns Creek clamps down on City Council expenditures
CIVIC DUTIES
Records show reimbursements for professional growth perks By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Johns Creek Stormwater Utility Manager Cory Rayburn and Stormwater Engineer Roman Carey stand next to a map of plans for Creekside Park, which includes constructed wetlands that will add 4.5 million gallons of stormwater storage.
Passion for environment drives Stormwater staff By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Johns Creek Stormwater Utility Manager Cory Rayburn was still energized days after a presentation on Creekside Park at the Southeast Stormwater Association’s Annual Regional Stormwater Conference.
On the third floor of City Hall, he began an hour-long conversation by describing the many benefits of the project, the city’s biggest to date at nearly $36 million. Stormwater Engineer Roman Carey, a self-described lifelong “tree hugger,” sat across from Rayburn in the room covered in maps. A large screen showed unseen park renderings, and at one point,
data on weather extremes, illustrating a progressive situation that spoke to the urgency of their role in the Public Works division. It hasn’t rained since Hurricane Helene swept through Metro Atlanta, bringing with it 10 inches of rainfall in two days.
See CIVIC, Page 21
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Questions surrounding City Council members’ individual expenses have spurred efforts to place limits on the City of Johns Creek’s Expenditure Policy. The current policy, passed in 2019, has no monetary cap on non-travel meals and stipulates that council members can be reimbursed so long as they are related to city business, like with a constituent, for example. It also allows council members to use city funds to pay for professional memberships with organizations like Rotary Club. At an Oct. 21 work session, City Councilman Bob Erramilli argued that council members should not be questioning one another and that there should be more trust. The plan was to revisit the policy three years after it was adopted. City Councilman Chris Coughlin disagreed. “…I haven't ever questioned any of y’all’s’ expenses until I’ve seen y’all’s’ expenses,” Coughlin said. “That's where I'm like, ‘Oh, we should have guard
See COUNCIL, Page 22
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