Thanks very much to everyone who attended the public meeting on the Sandy Springs Circle project.  The meeting was spirited at times and it gave our residents a chance to openly express their thoughts and concerns.  With the input gathered from the meeting and the comments that have been submitted via email from residents, the city staff and leadership will continue evaluating the project to determine the best course to follow.  We will provide periodic updates as more is known.

People have asked me about the recent press release stating that the city is raising property taxes.  It is confusing and I will attempt to bring clarity to the issue.  In the 2016/2017 budget, the city expects to collect approximately $353,000 more in property taxes than the previous year principally from the addition of newly developed properties that were not on the tax rolls last year.  Tax collections will be higher in the coming year, so the city is technically experiencing a tax increase, although the mil rate remains unchanged.  Because of how state lawmakers require that public tax notices be worded, the recent press release states that the city is imposing a tax increase, which is not the case.  The mil rate is set at 4.73 in the city's charter and cannot be changed with out a public referendum. 

For those with questions, I urge you to attend two public meetings this Tuesday, August 30th, at either 7:30 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.  Both meetings will be held in the Council chambers at City Hall.

Work on Mount Vernon between Sandy Springs Circle and Roswell Rd. will continue through year-end and two lanes of Johnson Ferry in front of the Performing Arts Center will be closed at times during September as cranes are brought to work on the building. 

The road work on Heards Ferry at Raider Dr. also continues, as does cable installation work all across our community.  While the end result of these projects should be very positive for our city, all this road work can be frustrating and your patience is sincerely appreciated. 

For a list of all of the city's active road projects, please click here.

Sunday, September 11th, marks the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy and Holy Innocents Episcopal Church will be holding a service that morning to remember the victims and heroes of 9/11 and to honor our Sandy Springs' First Responders who give so much of themselves to protect our city.  The community is invited to join your friends and neighbors at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary of Holy Innocents for this special service.  More information can be found about this event by clicking on the picture below.

If you are interested in reading the Week in Review provided by the City Manager regarding work activity on behalf of the community, you can access it here for the week ending in August 26th. 

As always, please direct your questions and comments to me at cburnett@sandyspringsga.gov. Best wishes for a wonderful week.

Chris Burnett