Johns Creek pulls the plug on self-run city elections

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The Johns Creek City Council folded on plans to run its own municipal elections this year, throwing the ball back to Fulton County this time around.

At a crowded Feb. 28 work session, councilmembers agreed that city-run municipal elections in 2023 would be too costly of a task for city staff, carrying an estimated $1 million price tag.

Based on the latest estimates from a Fulton County Commission meeting Feb. 1, the city would pay $429,252 for fall 2023 municipal elections, or $7.09 per registered voter.

If the city were to have directly administered elections, city staff estimated that cost per registered voter would exceed $16. And, if the city were to have entered into an agreement with the other North Fulton cities, cost per registered voter would be more than $17, which includes a shared cost for wages of the proposed regional elections superintendent.

Some councilmembers added they didn’t want to forgo the level of service in haste.

“We don’t want to disenfranchise one person,’” Councilman Larry DiBiase said.

“Our level of service has to be the same as Fulton County or better, period.”

Early cost estimates

Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry provided “context” for the election discussion, noting that Fulton County had initially set the cost for Johns Creek at $11.48 per registered voter.

See ELECTIONS, Page 7

NEWS TIPS

Police Blotter

770-442-3278

AppenMedia.com

319 N. Main Street

Alpharetta, GA 30009

HANS APPEN

Publisher RAY APPEN Publisher Emeritus

CONTACT

Contact reporters directly or send story ideas to newsroom@appenmedia.com.

LETTERS, EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Send your letters, events and community news to newsroom@appenmedia.com. See appenmedia.com/submit for more guidance.

ADVERTISING

For information about advertising in the Johns Creek Herald or other Appen Media properties, email advertising@appenmedia.com or call 770-442-3278.

CIRCULATION

To start, pause or stop delivery of this newspaper, email circulation@appenmedia.com or call 770-442-3278

Crooked credit activity sparks police complaint

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A man reported he received a letter from Capital One Feb. 16 in reference to an attempt to open a new credit card.

His son told Johns Creek Police Feb. 21 his father had not made the application, and that Capital One had been notified. It is not known when and where the account was opened or by whom, the police report said.

The man received another letter in the mail from GAP clothing in reference to opening a new GAP credit card, which had an outstanding balance of $800.

GAP informed the man the card had been opened in an unidentified store using his Social Security number and date of birth. The phone number on the account was inaccurate, the report said, and the account had been flagged as fraudulent.

The man and his son went to the Social Security Office and informed personnel of the situation and froze the man’s credit with all three credit bureaus.

Driver pulls out gun in bout of road rage

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Johns Creek Police was dispatched to Holcomb Bridge Road Feb. 21 in reference to a road rage incident that occurred in a parking lot.

A man stated he was traveling westbound on Holcomb Bridge when he and another driver started honking their car horns back and forth due to a disagreement in their driving methods. He then pulled into the parking lot in front of

Moon Indian Restaurant, the report said, and a dark blue Toyota Tacoma followed him into the lot.

The man said the middle-aged, White male driver brandished a black 9mm handgun and pointed it at him. The man could not give further details and was not sure if the driver had glasses or not.

The man told the other driver to “go ahead and shoot me” before taking out his phone and calling 9-1, the police report said.

The man said the driver saw him making the call and fled the scene in an unidentified direction. He later added that he only told the driver to shoot him because he did not believe he would do it, and that he was put in fear of his life.

When police ran the vehicle’s tag, the registered owner of the other vehicle came back as a Lawrenceville resident. The tag did not return with a vehicle description, had a nine character VIN, and a note stating the plate is no longer in the system, the report said. The only distinguishing description that the man could provide for the vehicle was what appeared to be white paint transfer streaked on the driver side bumper.

Police said there did not appear to be any visible outward facing cameras from the restaurant that would have captured the incident. The man said he would like to pursue criminal charges against the offender if identified.

Woman with sweet tooth sought in fraud incident

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The store manager of Royce Chocolate informed Johns Creek Police Feb. 22 a woman defrauded the business out of $1,105 and some candy.

The manager said that the business received an online order Oct. 15 for $202.17, which was filled, and the woman came into the store to retrieve the product.

A few days later, the man said the business received notice that the transaction was disputed, landing in favor of the customer and leaving the business holding the bag.

At the time, the manager said his superiors thought it was something wrong with the online order system and didn’t think anything else of it.

But the same thing happened Feb. 13 on a charge of $519.49, but the outcome of the dispute is pending.

The man said the business does not know the woman’s information because she used different names, email addresses and phone numbers. But he said the business captured her on camera in two of the incidents.

Delivery items stolen off woman’s porch

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A woman told Johns Creek Police Feb. 24 that a UPS package containing Bvlgari sunglasses and a gold bracelet had been stolen from her residence the day before. The items had a combined value of $2,229.

UPS sent her a notification the package was delivered between 3-5 p.m. to her residence off Bellmoore Park Lane, but when the woman looked for her package, it wasn’t there. The woman said there is no working video surveillance system at her residence and the package was supposedly delivered as certified mail, requiring a signature for receipt. But no one signed for the package.