The city’s meeting archive identifies the July 13 sessions as public hearings on the municipal millage rate. Those hearings are part of the public-input process and are not, by themselves, a final adoption vote. The city’s 2026 meeting calendar also lists a July 27 work session and City Council meeting, but the accessible records reviewed here do not establish whether the council discussed, proposed or adopted a 2026 rate at that meeting.

August meetings are the next scheduled checkpoints

Johns Creek’s official public-notice calendar lists City Council meetings for Monday, August 10, and Monday, August 24, at City Hall, 11360 Lakefield Drive. The listed schedule calls for a 5 p.m. work session followed by a 7 p.m. council meeting. The city says meeting dates are subject to change, so residents should check the latest agenda, packet and public-notice information before attending or submitting comments.

Those meetings are the next scheduled checkpoints for residents looking for additional discussion or final action. The records reviewed do not yet verify the final 2026 rate, the applicable rollback rate, the 2026 tax-digest figures or an exact household tax estimate.

July hearings concerned the city levy

The millage rate under consideration is Johns Creek’s municipal levy. It is only one part of a property-tax bill. A homeowner’s total bill can also include Fulton County and Fulton County Schools levies, as well as applicable exemptions and other charges.

The Fulton County Board of Assessors is responsible for valuing real and personal property in Johns Creek. The city’s finance information explains that a millage rate is applied to assessed property value, with one mill representing one dollar of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. Eligible homestead exemptions can reduce the taxable value used in the calculation.

That means a change in assessed value can affect a bill even if the city rate does not change. Conversely, the city portion of a bill cannot be used by itself to predict a homeowner’s full property-tax obligation because county and school levies are set separately.

Prior Johns Creek millage-rate minutes provide process context on reassessment, new growth, the tax digest, rollback-rate calculations, exemptions and the separate city, county and school portions of a bill. They do not establish what occurred during the 2026 hearings.

What city property-tax revenue supports

Johns Creek says municipal property-tax dollars help fund parks and recreation, transportation improvements, public safety and other city services. The city’s prior millage-rate minutes also described property-tax revenue as supporting public safety, city administration, capital projects, the adopted capital plan and council-designated priorities.

Those service descriptions explain why the 2026 rate matters to residents and taxpayers, but they do not determine the final rate or the amount owed by any individual property owner.

What residents should watch

• The official August 10 and August 24 agendas and packets.
• Any posted July 27 minutes, video record or millage-rate documents.
• The proposed 2026 millage rate and legally calculated rollback rate.
• The 2026 tax digest, including reassessment and new-growth figures.
• Information about applicable homestead and other exemptions.
• An ordinance or resolution showing whether and when the council adopts a final rate.

Until those records are directly verified, residents should treat reported tentative percentage increases or household dollar estimates as preliminary. The city rate is one component of a property-tax bill, not a standalone measure of the full amount a homeowner will owe.

Residents can monitor the city’s agendas and meeting records through the City Clerk’s online meeting page and review property-tax information through the city’s Finance Department. The August 10 and August 24 dates remain scheduled on the city’s published 2026 calendar but should be rechecked for changes.

Sources

• Johns Creek public notices and 2026 meeting calendar
• Johns Creek meeting archive

What the project covers

Under Illinois Department of Transportation Contract 68J68, the project runs from Fort Street in Farmington to 0.2 mile north of Alder Street in Canton. IDOT identifies the work as a Fulton County project covering approximately 7.63 miles of Illinois Route 78.

The work includes resurfacing and cold-in-place recycling. Contract documents also identify proposed four-foot shoulders, guardrail upgrades and related roadway, pavement-marking and traffic-control work. Those components are planned parts of the project, not indications that every improvement has already been completed.

What drivers should expect

A resident-facing construction notice reported that daytime lane closures began June 16 and that traffic impacts are expected throughout the project. Conditions may change as crews move through different portions of the Farmington-to-Canton corridor, so drivers should follow posted signs and check current construction information before traveling.

The approved project information does not establish a specific delay length or indicate that every closure is active at all times. Motorists should allow additional time for daytime trips and avoid assuming that conditions will be the same from one day to the next.

Why it matters in Farmington

IL 78 connects Farmington with Canton and is used by residents, commuters, freight operators, school transportation and businesses traveling along the corridor. Recurring daytime traffic control may affect trip planning, deliveries and service calls, including when work is outside Farmington’s central area.

The project is broader than a surface overlay because it also includes cold-in-place recycling, proposed shoulder work and guardrail upgrades. For people who regularly use IL 78 toward Canton, the practical issue is the possibility of changing traffic control and delays during the construction period.

IDOT’s project timeline calls for completion in late September 2026. Until then, Farmington-area travelers should expect construction activity and possible daytime delays along IL 78 toward Canton, while checking current notices before relying on the route.

Sources

• Illinois Department of Transportation Contract 68J68 detail
• Illinois Department of Transportation Contract 68J68 special provisions
• Travel Midwest construction notice

Quick context: what a TAD extension (and NRI) would do

Atlanta’s proposal is packaged under the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative (NRI), which the Fulton County resolution describes as a plan to extend six of the city’s eight active TADs for 30 additional years—through 2056. The resolution also describes an estimated $5 billion to $7 billion in property tax increment revenue that would be administered by Invest Atlanta for development projects.

The vote Fulton County took on July 15

Fulton County says its Board of Commissioners adopted the resolution on July 15 by a 4-1 vote, declining to participate in Atlanta’s proposed extension of its TADs. Fulton County also states the resolution was co-sponsored by Vice Chair Khadijah Abdur-Rahman and District 2 Commissioner Bob Ellis.

Why Fulton County says it stepped back now

Legal grounds: a state “10%” ceiling and baseline-reset requirements. Fulton County’s press materials point to Georgia’s statutory limit that prohibits the creation of a TAD where assessed property value in the district exceeds 10% of the creating city’s total taxable property base. The county also cites a formal legal opinion from the Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel saying that extending an existing TAD’s life is subject to the same requirements as creating a new one.

The Legistar resolution further says that if Atlanta extends its tax allocation districts without resetting tax increment baselines to current assessed values as state law requires, Fulton County could be deprived of up to $85,000,000 annually in property tax revenue that state statute provides should not be diverted to the districts.

Fiscal grounds: long obligations competing with countywide priorities. Fulton County says extending Atlanta’s TADs for another 30 years would have committed county taxpayers to forgoing in excess of $1 billion in property tax revenue for another three decades. The press release lists competing county obligations during that same period, including more than $1.1 billion in capital improvements to the Fulton County Jail and a $300 million investment to address a “healthcare desert” in south Fulton, including a new hospital.

The “taxpayer protection” framework the county adopted

Fulton County’s resolution lays out a set of conditions it says any future Fulton County participation must meet. It includes:

• Resetting the increment baseline: determining the tax allocation increment base using taxable property values as of the actual creation/extension date.
• Staying within the statutory 10% ceiling: ensuring the total current taxable assessed value of existing and proposed districts does not exceed 10% of the creating political subdivision’s total taxable property base.
• Requiring project-specific detail: adopting a detailed, project-specific redevelopment plan with measurable, time-bound objectives and the updated increment base.
• An enforceable cap: making Fulton County’s annual increment contribution subject to an enforceable cap.
• Independent audit rights: granting Fulton County independent audit rights over funds to which it contributes.

The resolution also raises the procedural threshold: it requires a supermajority of five members of the seven-member Board of Commissioners to approve any future TAD participation.

Finally, Fulton County directs its manager and attorney to monitor relevant proceedings involving Atlanta City Council, the Atlanta Board of Education, and Invest Atlanta relating to the NRI and any TAD extensions, and it says the county attorney should pursue legal remedies if Atlanta proceeds without Fulton County’s affirmative consent or in violation of state law. The Legistar resolution also demands the prompt return of property tax increment to the Fulton County General Fund from any district that has closed, is closing, or in which the Board declined authorization for continued County participation.

What this could mean next for redevelopment and school planning

Fulton County’s action is about participation and consent—it does not automatically cancel every redevelopment idea associated with the NRI. But it adds a major gating issue for any plan that assumes predictable long-term TAD participation and revenue streams from the county.

As the resolution describes it, the NRI’s projected tax-increment revenue depends heavily on Atlanta Public Schools (APS) participating. The resolution says APS contributes approximately 50% of all tax allocation district increment revenue, while Fulton County contributes approximately 25% and the City of Atlanta approximately 25%. It also says the Atlanta Board of Education has not committed to participating in the proposed extensions—and that without APS participation, total revenue available to the NRI would be reduced from an estimated $5–$7 billion to approximately $1.375 billion.

Separately, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Atlanta’s plan hinges on participation by at least one partner—either Fulton County or APS. The same reporting also noted that commissioners linked their decision to the need for long-term funding for services including hospitals, courts, and childhood education.

What residents should watch for now

• Whether Atlanta City Council and Invest Atlanta adjust the structure of the NRI/TAD plan to satisfy the county’s “taxpayer protection” conditions (baseline reset, project-specific plans, enforceable cap, audit rights).
• Future Fulton County commission votes that apply the new 5-of-7 supermajority standard for any proposed new or extended TAD participation.
• Any disclosures about specific projects and time-bound objectives that would be required under the county’s framework.
• Whether Fulton County follows through on its resolution language about seeking the return of increment if any districts close or if participation is declined in the future.

Sources

• Fulton County press release (July 17, 2026)
• Fulton County Legistar Resolution 26-0417 (PDF)
• AJC coverage (updated July 16, 2026)