Can you afford to live within North Fulton? ► PAGE 3 ASK APPEN
County Commissioner Bob Ellis says a bid to allow Fulton County to raise property taxes by 12 percent this year makes no sense. Ellis, who represents the western half of North Fulton, says the financial picture for 2025 remains strong. The County Commission will formally adopt a property tax rate Aug. 6.
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis said he is “vehemently opposed” to increasing the property tax rate above it current 8.87 mills.
The rate has remained flat since 2022.
In a 4-3 vote June 18, the Board of Commissioners tentatively adopted a 2025 millage rate of 9.87 mills – a full mill higher. If formally adopted Aug. 6, the levy would represent a tax increase of 12.5 percent over the rollback rate.
Georgia law requires that a rollback millage rate be computed that will produce the same revenue as last year’s rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred. Even if commissioners keep the rate flat, property owners will likely still pay more.
Commission Chairman Robb Pitts, a Democrat, joined North Fulton’s Republican commissioners Ellis and Bridget Thorne, to oppose capping this year’s levy 1 mill higher than county staff’s recommendation.
Property owners pay taxes to help finance the county’s general fund, which pays for maintenance and operations. The general fund budget is expected to total $974 million this year. Property taxes make up the fund’s largest revenue source, taking in close to $700 million.
See ELLIS, Page 21
By JON WILCOX
jon@appenmedia.com
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The City of Johns Creek may have a solution to an identity crisis that has lingered since it incorporated nearly 20 years ago.
Mayor John Bradberry said on
July 24 that the city is awaiting response from the U.S. Postal Service for a request to allow residents to use “Johns Creek” in their address. Bradberry said he sent the request after finding unanimous support among members of the City Council.
City officials previously considered lobbying for a unique ZIP code
to enhance residents’ sense of community and reduce confusion with mailing and directions. Addresses within the city currently may fall under several different ZIPs and include cities such as Alpharetta or Milton.
See ADDRESS, Page 20
Johns Creek addresses currently use any one of several ZIP codes and city names. A U.S. Postal Service change would allow residents to list their city as Johns Creek.
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All crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A Johns Creek resident reported suspicious activity near her Yukon Drive residence July 20.
The woman told police that she parked a newly purchased blue Cadillac outside the home July 19 to surprise her 16-year-old daughter. She noted that the home is about to be demolished and is empty inside.
She told officers that at approximately 9 a.m. on July 20 she reviewed surveillance footage and observed an unknown man standing in the driveway at 4 a.m.
Police were unable to find the suspect vehicle through a Flock license plate camera search.
The woman noted there were no signs of attempted forced entry on the car or the home.
— Sarah Coyne
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle on Barlow Court July 15.
The owner told police that his 2022 BMW 4 Series was stolen.
A witness told police that a white Land Rover Discovery parked in front of the home and the BMW quickly exited the driveway at 2 a.m. The witness stated that he followed the BMW to Medlock Bridge Road and State Bridge Road and was able to get a description of the drivers.
Police officers are actively tracking the BMW and have made other jurisdictions aware. The vehicle’s informa -
tion was entered into the Georgia Crime Information Center database.
— Sarah Coyne
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Two Alpharetta residents were arrested on drug charges during a Ga. 120 traffic stop July 9.
Alpharetta police officers stopped a car on Ga. 120 just west of Morris Road.
Officers searched the vehicle, discovering marijuana, methamphetamine, opioids and cocaine.
A 47-year-old man was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and providing false information to an officer.
A 44-year-old woman was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine, methamphetamine and a Schedule II controlled substance.
A 54-year-old Rocklin, Cal., man was cited for failure to register a vehicle, having no tag displayed and not having proof of insurance.
— Jon Wilcox
ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Police are investigating the theft of two paddleboards worth a combined total of $1,700 from an activity building at Martin’s Landing July 20 near the Chattahoochee River.
The victim, a 59-year-old Roswell man, said he locked up his paddleboards on a rack behind the activity building around 3 p.m. July 17. When he returned three days later, the man said they were missing.
The stolen belongings include a $900 11-foot-long red BIC paddleboard and a $700 10,5-footlong white Tahe paddleboard.
The officer said the man suggested
someone cut the paddleboards’ straps because the steel cable used to secure the paddleboards was undamaged and remained attached to the rack.
The owner said the kayaks behind the building were untouched from when he last saw his paddleboards.
The officer said he would follow up with the homeowners association and review footage from nearby security cameras.
The victim told the officer he wanted to press charges and would send him photos of the stolen paddleboards.
The case remains active.
— Hayden Sumlin
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — An SUV evaded Alpharetta police in a pursuit after officers investigated a report of vehicle burglaries July 9.
Alpharetta police said officers attempted to stop a black Nissan Rogue traveling east on Webb Bridge Road near Webb Bridge Way about 2 p.m. Officers said the vehicle appeared to carry three male passengers.
Officers investigated the area after they were notified a vehicle was suspected of being involved in vehicle burglaries in Sandy Springs.
The Nissan sped around officers, almost struck other vehicles, made a turn without signaling and exceeded speeds of 65 mph.
Police decided to end the chase after the vehicle sped through a red light.
Alpharetta officers later learned law enforcement in Oconee County attempted to stop the Nissan, which then fled into South Carolina.
A records search revealed the vehicle was rented in Boca Raton, Fla. Attempts to reach the rental agency were unsuccessful.
— Jon Wilcox
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
Community engagement is an essential part of Appen Media’s newsroom strategy.
That’s why reporters for the Herald and Crier newspapers seek out all sorts of reader questions. Sometimes those inquiries don’t lead to standalone stories because of time constraints or, more simply, the answers can be short.
Here is a question Appen has received and the answer your reporter dug up.
What is the cost of living in Fulton County?
Essential workers in North Fulton
cities, including teachers, public safety personnel and mechanics, often live outside of the region in more affordable communities.
In early May, Roswell resident Courtney Rozear asked a series of questions about housing attainability and average wages for workers after the city shut down the Economy Hotel off Old Dogwood Road.
The cost of living for the average family of four in Fulton County requires an annual household income of $107,508, according to a 2022 study from United for ALICE.
In comparison, the “household survival budget” for a family of four in Butts County is $77,856.
Georgia United Ways produced the statewide report documenting the number
of households below the federal poverty level. The report also included the number of ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households, which earn above poverty levels but not enough to afford the basics in the communities where they live.
The North Fulton Improvement Network, a local think tank dedicated to workforce housing, income and employment, transportation, child well-being and food security, cited the study in a June 2025 report.
In North Fulton cities, Sandy Springs leads the pack with 8 percent of households below poverty level and 32 percent of them ALICE.
Financial hardship varies by location, and there are not cost of living estimates
for individual North Fulton cities. Roswell is in the middle of the pack in North Fulton with 5 percent of households below poverty level and 31 percent of them ALICE.
Johns Creek has the lowest percentage of households below poverty level in the region, while Milton has the lowest percentage of ALICE households.
Across Fulton County, 67 percent of individuals under age 25 are below poverty level or unable to afford necessities in their community. But when compared to the 13-county metro area, Fulton has the least amount of young people in the category.
Ask questions about the community at appenmedia.com/ask
August 1
Summer Concert
Newtown Park - 7 p.m.
August 11
City Council Work Session
City Hall - 5 p.m.
City Council Meeting
City Hall - 7 p.m.
August 19
Board of Zoning Appeals
City Hall - 7 p.m.
City Council
By SARAH COYNE sarah@appenmedia.com
ROSWELL, Ga. — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr paid the Rotary Club of Roswell a visit July 24.
More than 150 Rotary members and guests attended the meeting at Roswell Area Park to hear about Carr’s work. The club chose to bring Carr out to talk about his campaigns to address human trafficking, organized crime and opioid addiction.
Roswell Rotary President Trummie Lee Patrick III said that the main reason they chose to bring Carr out to speak was because of Carr’s work to end human trafficking. Dave McCleary, Roswell Rotarian and past president, founded End Human Trafficking Now, which became an international movement.
“It was a great pairing of both what Dave's trying to accomplish and obviously what Attorney General Carr has tried to accomplish here in Georgia,” Patrick said.
Carr said that his favorite part about meeting local communities such as Roswell is being able to hear the good stories.
“It is so uplifting when you hear people helping other people,” he said.
Carr has served as Georgia’s Attorney General for nearly a decade and is setting his sights on the governor’s office. Although Carr did not speak about his campaign at the club meeting, he did speak about his future goals for the state.
During his talk, Carr highlighted his initiatives, which include the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, which has led to more than 60 convictions and rescued more than 200 children. He also highlighted his work through the Gang Prosecution Unit, which has collected more than 100 convictions.
Georgia Attorney General
speaks to the Rotary Club of Roswell about his work to combat human trafficking, organized crime and opioid addiction at the Bill Johnson Community Activity Building July 24.
“Georgia is a leader in the fight against human trafficking, and that is in part because of the people in this room,” Carr said.
Carr also mentioned the state’s fight to combat the opioid crisis.
“This is the thing that keeps me up at night with a 20-year-old daughter,” he said.
On July 11, Carr announced that the State of Georgia is expected to receive up to $20 million from several recently proposed national settlements with eight drug makers accused of contributing to the opioid crisis. Funds from the settlements will be put toward addiction treatment, prevention and recovery services.
“I think this is going to make a big difference,” Carr said at the Rotary meeting.
To learn more about the club, visit roswellrotary.club.
OLD SOLDIERS DAY OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, Aug. 2 – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Visit www.legion201.org for Details
10 a.m. – Alpharetta Brass Ensemble 10:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremony
11 a.m. – Clubroom/Bar Open to General Public
12 noon – Food for Sale at Concession Stand
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. – VA Reps Available to Meet & Provide 1-to-1 Guidance to Vets on First Come, First Served Basis; New Membership Info & Renewal for Legion, Sons of the Legion & Auxiliary
4 p.m. – “Truths and Myths about the Vietnam War” 47-minute Documentary Honoring Those Who Served
PURPLE HEART DAY CEREMONY - Thursday, Aug. 7, 6 p.m.
Light refreshments served in the Clubroom afterward.
RSVP: Ellen Terrell-Youngblood, 678-462-9003; or eftot57@gmail.com
Dances & Dance Instruction For all the details visit www.club201dance.com
www.legion201.org
By TY TAGAMI Capitol Beat
ATLANTA —Thousands of Georgians will soon be spending money from the state’s new subsidy for private K-12 education, as the first quarterly payouts appear in “promise scholarship” accounts.
More than 15,000 students applied for one of the $6,500 annual subsidies, and about 8,500 were approved. That means the state is on track to give about $55 million in taxpayer dollars — far less than budgeted — to families that have chosen private schooling over attendance at their nearby low-performing public school.
To qualify for the payments, most students had to spend a year attending one of the nearly 500 public schools performing in the bottom quarter of state academic measures. But the youngest students have a way around that requirement. Under last year’s law establishing the payments, often referred to as a “voucher,” rising kindergartners need not have attended public school to qualify.
According to new figures from the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which oversees the program, a third of the recipients will be attend -
ing kindergarten. Nearly half will be in elementary school, with the rest in seventh through 12th grades.
The money will be paid out quarterly, starting this month. Families can use it for a variety of educationrelated expenses. Two-thirds said they plan to spend it on tuition, according to the commission. The rest will use it to cover home schooling costs and other allowable expenses, such as tutoring, therapy and curriculum.
Opponents of these vouchers argued they would mostly be used by the wealthy, who are more able to afford the difference between the amount of the subsidy and the cost of private school tuition, which can exceed $10,000 a year.
As state Republican lawmakers were pushing Senate Bill 233 to final passage last year, Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, D-Duluth, summarized the opposition, mostly from fellow Democrats.
The vouchers are “a mirage for families like mine and for countless others across our state,” she said on the Senate floor, adding that they would undermine education for kids who don’t choose private school, since
See VOUCHER, Page 20
By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia,com
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Thousands of families descended on Alpharetta for the national Triple Crown Sports softball tournament July 17-20, bringing a healthy bump to the city’s economy.
The tournament drew some 1,500 players representing more than 100 teams, marking a two-fold increase from last year. With teams from across the eastern U.S., the players and their families rented lodging, ate at restaurants and purchased snacks, sporting supplies and other items during their visit.
As one of the city’s largest sporting events, the competition created a powerful “ripple” effect for local businesses, said Anita Jupin, director of PR and communications for the city’s convention and visitors bureau, Awesome Alpharetta.
“Sports tourism continues to be a key part of Alpharetta’s visitor mix, bringing in athletes, their families and fans, who stay, dine and shop locally,” Jupin said.
in such a small radius,” Crawford said. “And I don’t want to undershoot the importance of the quality of those facilities.”
Well-maintained fields, ample parking and excellent facilities were just a few of the reasons Triple Crown has repeatedly visited Alpharetta, he said.
Families also love the city’s sense of safety, nearness to a major airport and proximity to numerous recreational destinations elsewhere in Metro Atlanta.
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The tournament generated about 850 room nights, contributing an estimated $183,600 in hotel revenue. Between games, visitors also ate out at local fast-food and sit-down restaurants, perused shops and picked up last-minute supplies at gas stations, groceries, convenience stores and sporting goods shops. Huntsville mom Allison Huter said she made a last minute trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods for a shin guard and other items after her daughter Livy suffered a hit to her ankle.
“We had to spend quite a bit of money there,” Huter said.
During their five-day stay, the family lodged at a short-term rental and ate Einstein Bros bagels, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell. After a Friday afternoon game, Huter said she was looking forward to getting some relief from the day’s sweltering heat by splurging on some margaritas at a local Mexican restaurant.
Triple Crown has hosted tournaments in Alpharetta and other North Metro Atlanta cities since 2015.
The tournament returned to Alpharetta this year for its 10th tournament, in part because of the excellent sporting fields and facilities, said Scott Crawford, an event director for Triple Crown Sports. Teams played on 20 fields across nine different locations.
There are few communities in the U.S. with so many fields within a short driving distance of one another, he said.
“A big part of the reason (for coming) is because you have so many facilities
Like many other families watching the games, Wesley Chapel, Fla., father Anthony Stephens said he was doing his best to turn his visit to Alpharetta into a mini vacation.
Stephens said he planned to take his daughter Skylah to the Georgia Aquarium. Huta said she was thinking of attending a Braves game or simply playing some cornhole in downtown Alpharetta.
Stephens said he was so impressed by the city that he was considering moving there.
Crawford said Alpharetta has remained a top-tier host city for years also because of the cooperation by city and Awesome Alpharetta officials.
He praised the work of staff like Awesome Alpharetta’s Director of Sports Sales Anna Mikell and Park Supervisor Chris Anderson. Those staff made coming to Alpharetta easy, coordinating with almost every aspect of the competition from lodging to marketing.
Awesome Alpharetta is discussing building on that success by potentially bringing an additional tournament to the city next year.
“That’s a big thing to talk about because longevity speaks volumes in our world of sports,” Crawford said.
By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The historic BaileyJohnson School remains shuttered and in disrepair three years after the Alpharetta Development Authority approved a tax abatement bond arrangement for its redevelopment.
Construction originally was set to begin in mid-2022 and be completed by the end of 2023.
On July 21, doors to the school remained padlocked. The red-brick exterior showed no sign of renovation progress, and weeds grew through cracks in the parking lot.
Alpharetta City Administrator Chris Lagerbloom said the city is not certain about the project’s future.
“I don’t think that project ever happens,” he said. “I’ve heard different development concepts, but it will require another public process to determine.”
In July 2022, the Development Authority agreed to temporarily take ownership of the property through a bond-for-title deal, allowing North Crescent Communities to make reduced payments in lieu of taxes.
Under the agreement, the North Carolina-based developer pays 50 percent of the property tax obligation in the first year.
Payments increase 5 percent annually over 10 years until the developer assumes the full obligation.
Crescent Communities partnered with Kimball Bridge Venture Partners to create 160,000 square feet of office space and retain much of the school’s size and design.
The project value at the time was estimated at $70 million.
Venture declined to answer questions about the project.
Katie Harris, Crescent PR senior account executive, said the developer is work-
ing through “predevelopment efforts,” but offered no additional details.
“We’ll be sure to share updates as soon as we can on the site’s activity and how the team plans to celebrate the history of the Bailey-Johnson School,” she said.
Located at 154 Kimball Bridge Road just south of Avalon, the Bailey Johnson School was North Fulton County’s first Black school, offering an education opportunity for grade 1-12 students before desegregation.
Originally named the Alpharetta Colored School, it was renamed the BaileyJohnson School three years after its opening in honor of Alpharetta blacksmith George Bailey and former slave Warren Johnson.
Venture Partners and Crescent Communities have dubbed the project “Garren on Kimball,” as an homage to the two men’s first names.
Former student Charles Grogan said he
has fond memories of his time at the school from 1957 to 1965.
“I hate to see it torn down and forgotten all together,” he said.
The site serves as a powerful reminder of a history that matters to him and Alpharetta, he said. He hopes to one day show his great-granddaughter the renovated school.
“I’m going to bring my offspring, my people, to see where I went to school,” he said. “It’s important to me for her to know where her great-grandaddy went to school.”
Development Authority Chairman Jack Nugent said plans called for transforming the 21,321-square-foot school into a studio creative office space. He described the project as exciting and an asset for the city.
It is one of more than 20 properties that the Development Authority in Alpharetta is involved in. The assessed value of those properties is more than $430 million.
“When they came to us with that
proposal, that was a signature project for Alpharetta,” said Nugent, who was with the Development Authority in 2022.
Nugent said he thinks the project has remained paused for 18-24 months because of supply chain problems and rising costs. Nevertheless, he hopes the project will be completed.
“It is still on our docket for wanting to see this through,” Nugent said. “My guess is that they will probably come back at some point in the not-too-distant future hopefully, and you’ll have some modifications to it.”
Nugent said he still considers the original bond deal a success for the Development Authority.
“The way it works when we get involved is a developer will come to us and say, essentially we’d like your help in getting this project done,” he said. “They asked us to be a vehicle for enabling this to happen … We will be the vehicle that issues bonds.”
Purchased from the Fulton County School District, the site originally generated no taxes as a public property.
In 2024, the property paid $36,855 in taxes.
If the developers decide they cannot complete the project and sell the property, a new bond deal would likely need to be obtained, he said.
Nugent said the Development Authority has limited tools when it comes to ensuring progress of the project.
“We essentially require the developer to take the lead, and our steps kind of fall in place as the developer moves forward with the project,” he said. “We cannot be proactive about a development. We have to react as a development moves forward.”
Until then, progress remains paused at the school, which sits empty, overgrown and locked.
SCREENSHOT
Deputy Director of Public Works Robert Dell-Ross presents the proposal of a single-lane roundabout that will be placed at Cox and King roads at the regular meeting July 7.
By SARAH COYNE sarah@appenmedia.com
MILTON, Ga. — Milton officials agreed July 7 to move forward with plans to place a single-lane roundabout at Cox and King roads on the city’s border with Roswell.
The intersection, which includes stop signs for both roads, recorded 13 crashes from 2017-2021. King Road terminates at the intersection.
The City of Milton is teaming up with the City of Roswell on the project.
With the City Council granting blanket right of way acquisition approval, city staff can now confirm the site scope and budget for the project.
Based on fair market value and limits of negotiation, city staff estimate $102,100 for land purchase. Money for the project will come from the city’s transportation sales tax revenue.
“I know this is a welcome addition,” Mayor Peyton Jamison said. “People have been wanting this.”
In a related matter at the July 7 meeting, Deputy Director of Public Works Robert Dell-Ross presented an agreement between the cities of Milton, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell and Sandy Springs to update the North Fulton Comprehensive Transportation Plan.
All five cities have requested the Atlanta Regional Commission to oversee the process.
The ARC coordinated and funded the plan in 2010 and 2018 and will manage and update the project.
“It’s time to consider updating this document,” Dell-Ross said.
The program allows local governments to take elements of their
own roadway master plans, have them evaluated, then select projects within their city. A staff member from each city will guide the process, while the ARC pursues funding through the Georgia Department of Transportation and handles contracts and subcontracts.
So far, the City of Johns Creek has approved the agreement, and will serve as the administrative city collecting the local matching funds from each municipality. Johns Creek is charging nothing for the service.
The estimated cost for the plan is approximately $1.2 million, with $990,000 coming through federal funds and $247,500 in local match from the five cities. The ARC will fund 80 percent of the total cost.
Based on 2023 population estimates, Milton’s share is approximately $26,462.
The City Council gave unanimous approval to the plan and expects the other cities to sign by the end of July.
Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with O.C.G.A. 21-2-131, the City of Johns Creek shall hold a Municipal General Election for Offices of Mayor and Councilmember Posts 1, 3 and 5 on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 per O.C.G.A. 21-2-9.
Qualifying for the Municipal General Election will be Monday, August 18, 2025 through Wednesday, August 20, 2025, between the hours of 8:30 AM - - 4:30 PM per the Georgia Election Code O.C.G.A. 21-2-132. Qualifying will be held in the City Clerk’s Office (3rd floor) at Johns Creek City Hall located at 11360 Lakefield Drive, Johns Creek, GA 30097.
Pursuant to O.C.G.A. 21-2-131(a)(1) the qualifying fee was set by the Mayor and Council at the January 13, 2025 meeting at $750 for Office of the Mayor and $450 for each Council Post which is three percent of the total gross salary for the preceding year.
All persons who are not registered to vote and who desire to register to vote may register to vote through the close of business on October 6, 2025. Early voting will be held October 14, 2025 through October 31, 2025. The last day to submit an absentee ballot application is October 24, 2025. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Should a runoff election be required, such runoff will be held on December 2, 2025.
Please contact the City Clerk at 678-512-3212 should you have any questions or concerns.
This 31st day of July, 2025
Allison Tarpley City Clerk
By SARAH COYNE sarah@appenmedia.com
ROSWELL, Ga. — While a party was brewing down the road on Canton Street for Alive in Roswell, concerned residents gathered to protest the continued construction underway at Mimosa Hall and Gardens July 17.
The residents rallied around the message that they’d been bulldozed and betrayed by the City Council.
The city acquired Mimosa Hall in 2017 from its most recent owner, Sally Hansell, for $2.95 million. The hall is a part of the Founders Park Project, which commits more than $15 million from the city and includes Town Square and its nearby historic homes.
Protestors wearing orange tree protection fencing and holding signs, urged bystanders on street the to sign a petition asking city officials to save what is left on the grounds of the historic hall.
“This is a dereliction of duty,” demonstrator Jacqueline Bass said.
The group’s petition has grown to more than 850 signatures. It calls for the city to save what is left of the Neel Reid Gardens, including the stone garden steps, commit to seeking feedback from citizens about major projects and proactively save and catalogue recovered artifacts from the site.
On the morning of July 22, the group discovered that the Neel Reid garden stairs had already been demolished.
Atlanta architect Neel Reid lived in the home for several years, leaving behind historic works such as his garden and stone steps.
Bass, a small business owner specializing in project management and comprehensive historic preservation, said that the city’s project has little monitoring for historical conservation.
“There’s been a lot of outcries, professional and just concerned citizens who [want the city] to take a pause and look at it,” Bass said. “And the city’s just completely ignored any kind of request.”
Mimosa Hall was chosen as the first major focus and will transform the hall into an event venue under the approved initiative to improve public access, environmental sustainability and long-term use of the property.
On May 30, residents were shocked to find much of the property’s tree canopy felled.
Around 35 trees were removed in two specific areas of the site, with some selective removal for a newly landscaped garden and an event lawn area.
In another petition, residents were able to compromise with city officials to save a black walnut tree targeted for
removal for creation of an ADA pathway.
Councilwoman Sarah Beeson said that the city committed approximately $600,000 to help save the tree and others.
Nearly two dozen residents spoke at the June 30 Open Forum at City Hall to decry the city’s management of the project. As city officials began to address the questions, frustration rose among the crowd, prompting most of them to leave.
Despite this, city staff continued to answer the questions.
Residents at the July 17 protest said they felt ignored by the city.
“They really didn’t address any of the questions,” demonstrator Simone du Boise said.
Protestors said that they want to see the city step back from the project to reevaluate plans.
“I’d like to see a stop work order issued immediately so that things can be assessed and not further destroyed,” du Boise said.
The day after the protest, residents found several more trees cut down and on the ground.
The concerned citizens said that they have no plans to stop fighting for the preservation of Mimosa Hall and Gardens until they see change and will continue to pressure the city to share how they intend to catalogue historic artifacts.
By SARAH COYNE sarah@appenmedia.com
MILTON, Ga. — While juggling the busy stay-at-home mom life with her three children, Karen Bates still finds time for her passion, baking.
In her kitchen, Bates bakes up a storm, creating delicious art for friends, family and customers. Bates’s micro bakery, Karen B Cakes, sells custommade cakes, cupcakes and loaves of sourdough. Soon, she will add muffins and macarons to the menu.
Although Bates has been baking her whole life, the idea to share her gift with others started when her daughter had her second birthday while they lived abroad in China for her husband’s job.
“I was really craving American cake,” she said.
She found some ingredients to make the cake, and the rest is history.
“That’s kind of where it started, where I started really being like ‘Oh I like this,’” Bates said.
When her family moved to Singapore, Bates was able to sell her first cake to someone she didn’t know. A Milton resident for the past decade, Bates transformed her passion into an LLC in January.
She operates on a cottage food license, which allows her to run her bakery out of her home, so long as she adheres to certain requirements such as cleanliness and food labels.
She brainstorms her recipes with her family and now offers 13 cake flavors, such as Cookie Monster, which consists of a chocolate chip vanilla cake covered in cookie dough buttercream or Razzmatazz, which includes vanilla cake filled with raspberry preserves and raspberry buttercream iced in vanilla.
“A lot of it is what my family likes,” she said.
Buttercream rules
Her business is an all-buttercream micro bakery that does not use any
daughter’s birthday.
fondant. For custom-made cakes, Bates tries to decorate her pieces with all edible materials, using a range of sprinkles, frosting, rice paper and spring roll wrappers.
“Sometimes they take on a life of their own,” Bates said. “I love that it is edible art. You can do really fun things with it, and then it goes away.”
Her favorite part about the job is seeing people’s reactions to the edible art.
“It makes them so happy,” she said.
To Bates, her micro bakery is more than just a side hustle, it’s a way to make traditions, just like her ancestors who immigrated from Armenia to the United States.
“When they came over from Armenia, they stopped speaking Armenian and only spoke English,” Bates said. “The only thing that they did keep, though, was the food. I feel like that's a really
strong thing.”
The “B” in Karen B Cakes is a symbol for her loved ones, reminding people that family comes first. The “B” represents her grandfather who was an entrepreneur and beekeeper.
“It just really makes me think about him and how hard he worked,” Bates said.
See BAKER, Page 11
Continued from Page 10
The spirit of entrepreneurship is something she hopes will live on in her family.
“I hope that it inspires them to know that they can do something, that if they have an interest that they can take it into the community,” she said.
Bates said that being able to gift her passion for baking to the community is a blessing.
Sharing her craft
In October, she will begin to offer sourdough and cupcake decorating classes through the City of Milton’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“I hope that through the classes that I can bless other people, and they can find something that they're excited about,” she said.
Bates said she hopes the cupcake decorating course will allow parents and their children to create new traditions. In the course, attendees will learn how to fill a piping bag, create designs, decorate with sprinkles and create colored buttercream. Supplies will be provided for guests. The course will be held once a month, on a Saturday, from 10-11 a.m.
“I really feel like it can be something that can help build your confidence,” she said.
The sourdough course will simplify the process of making loaves. Bates will teach how to feed the starter, how to bake sourdough bread on a schedule and how to mix, fold and score dough and what equipment is needed. Classes will be held one Saturday each month at 7 p.m.
Bates said her small business has been a slow growth process, since her three children are her main priority. She
hopes the business will grow steadily and become a city staple by the time her 9-year-old reaches high school, but for now she finds her number of customers perfect.
“I’m still a busy mom,” she said. “I love being able to do things here and there on the side, which is what makes it so perfect, because I can kind of have it be whatever I want.”
Those interested in ordering baked goods from Bates can visit her website, karenbcakes.com
According to the annual Giving USA report on philanthropy by the Giving USA Foundation and Indiana University, the total in 2023 was $557 billion. DealAid, a fundraiser for non-profits, reports that 56 percent of Americans donated to charity in 2024 and that the average age of a U.S. donor was 65. Twenty-four percent of the total went to religious organizations. Education and human services were tied at 14 percent each, with health-related causes at 9 percent.
In the early days of our nation’s history, religion or moral obligation played a dominant role in giving. As more people gained wealth and status, giving back to society became a key motivating factor. Famous philanthropists such as John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), Edsel Ford who established the Ford Foundation in 1936, and more recently Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have had an enormous impact on society.
Many people donate to organizations where they have personal ties, or work for corporations with ties to particular charitable organizations. A person with a relative with cancer, for example, might give to the American Cancer Society. An employee might feel satisfaction by taking part in a company fundraiser for its chosen charity. Some give to the United , which like the charity described below distributes money to a range of charities. Someone blessed with wealth may be motivated to leave a lasting legacy through charitable giving to fill a need that is not being met in their community.
ProPublica, a non-profit news service, reports that there are more than 55,000 charities designated as 501(c)(3)s in Georgia. Donations to those entities are tax deductible. They range from small local organizations to large multi-million-dollar hospitals, churches and other large charities. A quick note: there is a big difference between a non-profit organization and a 501(c)(3). This can cause confusion. Not all non-profits qualify for 501(c)(3) status which is granted by the Internal Revenue Service following a lengthy application process. A non-profit corporation is formed under state law. It operates like a regular corporation, but its profits must serve the public good not its owners or shareholders. A 501(c)(3) is exempt from federal income tax and often state taxes as well. Importantly, donations to 501(c)(3)s are tax deductible for the donor.
Early history
Philanthropy in the United States dates back to a generous gift by a Puritan clergyman, John Harvard. When he died
Portrait of John D Rockefeller taken in 1922. After founding Standard Oil Company in 1870, he spent In retirement much of his retirement directed toward modernizing the South through the General Education Board which he established in 1902 with an initial gift of $1 million. The GEB eventually grew to more than $180 million. The GEB funded thousands of schools in rural areas of the South, teacher training, agricultural modernization, public health and medicine.
in 1638, he donated half his estate and his collection of 400 books to a young school, which named itself Harvard College after the donor the following year. The Puritans in Massachusetts and the Quakers of Pennsylvania were the first to establish philanthropic institutions in their areas in the 1600s, such as the Scots Charitable Society of Boston.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a pioneer of philanthropy. He advocated the notion that everyone should donate for the common good consistent with his or her means. In 1729, he founded a weekly newspaper, the Philadelphia Gazette, which for the next 30 years promoted various civic projects. His efforts led to a volunteer fire department, the paving of public streets
This portrait of Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-American financier, was taken in 1865 and is part of the Brady-Handy Civil War photo collection in the Library of Congress. Carnegie built 1,800 libraries in the United States between 1898 and 1929, including more than 30 in Georgia. Worldwide, he built some 2,500 libraries.
by Cynthia Knudson. Other board members since the inception include Lara Dolan and Judy Burds. All have played active roles with the Milton Tour of Homes committee which is the major fundraiser for the organization.
Southern Magnolia Charities donates money to other local charities each year and is known as “A Charity for Charities!” Other fundraisers have included a Comedy on the Green and a cookbook offered during a three-year disruption during COVID when homeowners did not want people touring their homes. The charity has raised $361,000 and has benefited 15 local charities.
and a scientific academy that eventually became the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1835, Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous French historian who profiled the United States in his book Democracy in America wrote about the strange practice by the Americans of supporting private initiatives for the public good. He said that voluntary giving was a special characteristic of the Americans.
North Georgia example
It would be impossible to highlight multiple charities in a single column, but one that merits special mention is Southern Magnolia Charities, established in 2018 under President Marty Spear, who was succeed by Donna Savas, and is now led
The tour has become popular, and once tickets go on sale, they are sold out at lightning speed. This year’s tour is Sept. 20. Tickets go on sale Aug. 1. The website for the tour is https://southernmagnoliacharities.org/2025-milton-tour-of-homes. You don’t have to be a Rockefeller or Carnegie to take part in giving. It is open to everyone.
Thanks to Judy Burds for her help with the column and to Marty Spear for suggesting the topic.
Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@ bellsouth.net. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.
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RAY APPEN Publisher Emeritus ray@appenmedia.com
OK, many of us already use or have used the most popular/best known AI app out there – ChatGPT, right? So here is the first question on your AI IQ test.
What does the “GPT” stand for?
So, full disclosure, my knowledge of artificial intelligence is, at best, modest. I have read news stories about it in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Economist these past couple years, as well as several of my online news sources including Bloomberg. Until this week, my knowledge essentially was that AI was sort of like a new Google search, except that instead of just spitting out a topic-specific definition of sorts, AI could go the next step and, after crawling the web for relevant information to your query, it could reply in narrative form that processed many relevant pieces of data from the internet and synthesized a summary based on that.
Can you write my term paper for me?
Of course, I had also read about all sorts of things that AI (ChatGPT) could do in response to a command such as “write a high school level research paper that would be appropriate for my AP high school American literature assignment which is …” Or what I heard my wife ask ChatGPT yesterday, “I have these ingredients available. What can I make with these for dinner, and how do I make it?”
One of my friends who is a CEO of a company that runs many medical practices told me that he asks ChatGPT for advice on how to conduct annual staff evaluations. He describes the personality of each staff person to ChatGPT – their Enneagram number or their
Myers-Briggs status if he has them. Then, ChatGPT coaches him on how to communicate with each particular employee. He told me that it has greatly improved the evaluations and saved him massive amounts of time.
The possibilities, of course, are endless.
I asked Chat the following question: “What can you tell me about Ray Appen?” Within a couple seconds I got a lengthy overview about me. It surprised me – in a good way!
“Ray Appen is a media entrepreneur….. His media outlets focus on local news, government, education, and community issues – a rarity in today’s shrinking local news landscape… Appen Media has been recognized for sustaining independent local journalism despite national trends of consolidation…. Ray Appen is known for advocating civic engagement and free speech.”
I then asked ChatGPT, “What can I say to my readers about how critical – how absolutely critical – their contributions and support are to helping Appen Media survive into the future and continue producing honest, reliable, accountability local journalism? I asked it to limit the response to 200 words. Here is what I got:
Why Your Support Matters
At Appen Media, we believe that strong communities start with informed citizens. That’s why we’re committed to producing honest, independent journalism that holds power to account and keeps you connected to what matters most — your schools, your local government, your neighbors.
But producing quality, reliable reporting isn’t free. It takes time, resources, and a team of dedicated journalists who live and work in the same communities we cover. Unlike national outlets or social media, we’re not backed by billionaires or driven by clicks — we’re driven by a mission to serve you.
Your support — whether through a one-time donation or a monthly contribution — is not just helpful. It’s essential. It keeps reporters in the field, holds elected officials accountable and ensures local voices are heard. Without it, our ability to cover your city council, your school board, your community — truthfully and without bias — is at substantial risk.
If you value trustworthy local journalism, please consider supporting us today. Because when local news disappears, so does local accountability.
Thank you for standing with us.
— The Appen Media Team”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Succent, truthful, and honest. Chat summarized very accurately what’s at stake at Appen – and all local media – and how you can help your local journalism – your local newspaper survive and continue to serve you. That’s not just words; it is reality. We need the community to support us so we can do our jobs – for you.
Please act now!
Please use this link to go to our website and join your neighbors in supporting us with an annual, monthly, or one time contribution. Our goal is to be able to sustain one full-time reporter per city via your donations and support. For the cost of a few cups of Starbucks a week or one dinner out a month, you can make a long-lasting impact on supporting your local news.
Here is the web address of the contribution page: https://tinyurl.com/AppenLinkContribute
Or you can mail a check to Appen News, 319 North Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009. In the subject line please put this: “Appen Press Club”
So, what does the GPT in ChatGPT stand for? “Generative Pre-Trained Transformer”! More on that later.
THANK YOU so very much and sincerely for considering supporting our efforts to keep local news alive. — Ray Appen and the Appen Media Team
The other day, and despite the heat, I decide to get outside for a while after lunch.
I know, I know. This time of year, doing anything at all outdoors means dealing with sweltering summertime heat. It’s humid and sweltering. It makes you uncomfortable. It makes it hard merely to breathe.
Yeah. The fact is that this time of year, it’s just too darned hot. Still, I feel the need to break free of the keyboard. But to where? Maybe Stamp Creek? Over off Highway 20, it flows sedately through the Allatoona Wildlife Management Area on its way to Allatoona Lake. The creek should
be cool – at least enough to knock the edge off the heat.
Wading in a creek on a sweltering July day is a pleasant prospect, all things considered. But over even that, there hangs a question: Will the creek hold any fish?
You know about me and fishing. You know I’ll just have to find out.
On my way out I retrieve one of the fly rods. I also pick up an Altoids box full of flies. Dad used to carry flies in little metal Kodak film cans, though these days those metal cans are darned near impossible to find. Plastic ones show up now and then, but plastic’s not quite the same. So I’ve gravitated to Altoids boxes. They do fine too.
Is that everything? I think so. I open the garage door, and a wave of heat rolls in and swallows me up. And when I open the car door a minute
later, an even more determined blast of superheated air hits me full in the face. Am I having fun yet? I will be, in a minute, once the car’s AC works its magic. I start the engine and turn the “cold” knob all the way to 10. Unseen machinery whirrs into motion, fighting against the sweltering air, and slowly prevails.
Only then, secure in my bubble of cool air, do I set out for Stamp Creek.
The piece of Stamp Creek I’ll visit on this searing July day is accessed from parking areas near the Ga. 20 bridge. There are small parking areas on the south side of the highway on both sides of the creek. I pick the one to the west and pull off the pavement. I grab the rod, too, and then make my way downhill toward water. In an instant I’m sweating. It’s just hot. But then I’m at the edge of the stream. Left or right? I toss a mental
coin and turn left, downstream, toward the expansive waters of the lake.
The creek is cool and soothing, a perfect respite from the heat. I work my way along, in no hurry, casting now and then. Small sunfish are responsive. The day is good, for I am catching fish and (thanks to the creek) I am cool. Soon it’s time to begin the walk back. Leaving the cool water, heat again trumps all. Sweat returns, and by the time I reach the car, I feel like leading man in a one-act play set in a planetsized double-boiler. But again, the car’s AC provides relief. Soon comfort and joy return.
On the way home, I stop by the grocery store to pick up the makings of supper. And then, just because its close, I decide to make a quick stop at the thrift store.
VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist
A road which runs between Boylston Drive and Roswell Road was named for Dr. Leila Daughtry Denmark in 2018. Leila
Daughtry was born on a farm in Bulloch County, Georgia, in 1898. She studied at Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia, and Mercer University in Macon. She was the third woman graduate of the Medical College of Georgia, graduating in 1928.
Dr. Denmark participated in pioneering research on whooping cough after an epidemic hit Atlanta in 1932. She worked with Eli Lilly and researchers at Emory University to help develop a successful vaccine for the
deadly illness.
According to the 1940 census, Leila and husband John Eustace Denmark lived in the city of Atlanta. They built a home in Sandy Springs a few years later. The couple first met in elementary school. John Denmark was a banker and became an officer with the Federal Reserve.
Dr. Denmark was named “Woman of the Year in Professions” in 1954, honored because of her work as a pediatrician and her contributions to the field of medicine. She had an office in the family home at 5605 Glenridge Drive, where she could work and be close to their daughter. (Atlanta Journal, Jan. 14, 1954, “Dr. Leila Denmark Woman of the Year”)
A newspaper article written in 1986 tells of Dr. Denmark’s thriving practice that year, when she was 88 years old. In
1985, Leila and John Denmark moved to a 100-year-old Forsyth County farmhouse. She continued to practice as a pediatrician, running her office from the farmhouse. Jack Wilkinson wrote, “The parking lot beside the old white farmhouse was full. The cars came from Cobb and Gwinnett, Floyd and Fulton, DeKalb and Cherokee counties. Some people had driven an hour to get here.” (Atlanta Constitution, April 1, 1986, “Nothing is forgotten in Dr. Denmark’s office”)
My mother never took me or my brother to Dr. Denmark, but she spoke of her often and had a copy of her book, “Every Child Should Have a Chance.”
The book was published in 1971. Tucked inside my mom’s copy of the book was the April 1,1986 newspaper article about the doctor, something my mom often did with books. I love to find
these hidden treasures.
The parents who were in the office the day Wilkinson visited spoke of their concern over what they would do once Dr. Denmark could no longer be their children’s doctor. Her personalized care and concern for every child, plus her years of experience, made her a special doctor. She also charged a lower fee than most other doctors in 1985.
When Denmark began practicing medicine in 1928, she was the eighth pediatrician in Atlanta. She continued her work until the age of 103. Dr. Denmark died in 2012 at the age of 114.
Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.
As we slog these humid days that serve to turn sitting on the deck as close to a steam bath you’re ever going to get while fullyclothed, my mind started wandering about some sayings.
Here in the South, we have plenty of little pearls that if “you ain’t from around here” will make little or no sense. It took me awhile to become adept at making sense of some phrase that, until I became an enlightened Southerner, would have given me a headache.
Now, after happily embracing where the Good Lord has placed me for more than half of my 70 years, I find myself using some of these amusing, often nonsensical ditties. I should have known this was my pre-ordained fate.
After all, I was raised on country music, sold sausage to Merle Haggard and taught Buck Owens to play racquetball.
Here are some of my favorite phrases that…
“Tickle me pink.” I have no idea what this means, and I certainly am not a fan of being tickled. And I see no benefit of losing any type of tan that results from being on a motorcycle ride and turning pink.
“He ain’t got the sense that God gave a goose.” Okay, I double dog dare you to make any sense of that one. First, I would hope God has more things to worry about than whether his geese creatures are making sound decisions. Second, I’ve ran into geese on the golf course back in the day. I’ve only seen them hiss at me, try to attack (incidentally, a 3-iron is a good deterrent for goose aggression; I could never hit a golf ball with that club, but it saved me on a few occasions from getting goosenipped), and poop on the greens.
“That’s a tough row to hoe.” Huh? Okay Leroy, why don’t you go to Home Depot and arm yourself with a better tool. Better yet, go out to the shed and pick out one that will tame that row and double as a goose-smacker too.
Speaking of sheds, when someone said: “I’m going to take you out behind the woodshed,” there’s no way I’m going anywhere near that woodshed. There might be spiders. See if you can entice the belligerent goose to go instead.
“He’s full of prunes.” You don’t have to be a genius to know that you’re not talking honest-to-goodness wrinkled prunes. The subject of this derision is probably full of what that is full of before dumping the load on a putting surface.
I’ve never eaten a goose, but all this goose talk has made me hungry. How hungry, you ask? “I could eat the south end of a northbound horse.” Or you can substitute “wooden hobby horse” for “northbound horse.” Either way, no way I’ll be eating a horse of any ilk, wooden or otherwise.
I get tickled pink when I hear “I’ll stomp a mudhole in your butt.” Now wait a minute! I watched plenty of rasslin’ in my day and the only way I see anyone accomplishing this feat is to use the old “loaded boot” tactic.
No stomping necessary. In fact, I’d hope we could be a bit more civil. Better
yet, let’s go have a few drinks. My treat. With any luck, you might be “drunker than Cooter Brown.” Hold it! Just who is Cooter Brown and with him being so popular despite liking to imbibe more than Otis Campbell, I say we show some compassion and get ol’ Cooter into some type of 12-step program.
Finally, we have perfected being sensitive and kind here. When someone describes a particularly less-than attractive baby by saying: “Isn’t she precious?” instead of being truthful, Southern diplomacy and kindness usually shines through, lest the daddy threatens to “beat you like a red-headed stepchild.”
Anyone threatens me like that, I’m going to find them a cantankerous goose. Or maybe I’ll just leave before someone says: Don’t let the door hit you where the Good Lord split you.”
Mike Tasos has lived in Forsyth County for more than 30 years. He’s an American by birth and considers himself a Southerner by the grace of God. He can be reached at miketasos55@gmail.com.
line 1 are 5, 5 and 4 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, with each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!
1. River feature. Croupier’s tool. Hate.
2. Fireman’s tool. Family member. Conundrum.
3. Small whirlpool. Carpenter’s tool. Man of morals.
4. Dentist’s tool. Chess piece. Wanderer.
5. Saintly topper. Plumber’s tool. Killer whale.
6. Sculptor’s tool. Voting group. Sign of healing.
7. Command to a horse. Priest’s superior. Farmer’s tool.
1 River feature. Croupier’s tool. Hate
2. Fireman’s tool. Family member. Conundrum
How to Solve: Each line in the puzzle above has three clues and three answers. The last letter in the first answer on each line is the first letter of the second answer, and so on. The connecting letter is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each answer (the answers in line 1 are 4, 5 and 5 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, which each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!
3. Small whirlpool. Carpenter’s tool. Man of morals
4. Dentist’s tool. Chess piece. Wanderer
5. Saintly topper. Plumber’s tool. Killer whale
6. Sculptor’s tool. Voting group. Sign of healing
7. Command to a horse. Priest’s superior. Farmer’s tool
D.C. AIKEN
Successful finance approach could benefit existing home sellers.
This week’s musical inspiration comes from the Bangles’ 1986 hit, “Walk Like an Egyptian.”
Over the years, I’ve observed two markedly different approaches to selling real estate — resale properties versus new construction — and it may be time for resale sellers to start “selling like a builder.”
The era of multiple offers, waived financing and appraisal contingencies has largely passed for the resale market. Yet, many resale sellers have been slow to adjust to this new reality. Unlike builders, they often remain resistant to offering closing cost assistance or creative financing incentives. It’s unclear why this
Continued from Page 14
I’ve come to love thrift stores. I have this hope that someday I’ll walk in and there’ll be a pile of handmade bamboo flyrods with a sign that says “Fishing Poles – $2 each.” It hasn’t happened yet. But it could. And if it does, I have a fiver in my pocket. That would cover two rods and tax too. Maybe I’d even let them round it up and give them the whole thing.
I park in the shade of a big tree. Just the other side of the tree is what appears to be a homeless guy fanning himself with a floppy piece of cardboard. He appears to be…wilted. But it’s no big deal. We see that kind of
persists, but a quick comparison of resale listings with those in the new construction segment reveals a stark contrast in strategy.
Builders have been aggressive in their use of financial incentives to drive traffic and reduce buyer friction. It's now common to see builders contributing 3 percent to 6 percent of the purchase price toward closing costs, temporary or permanent rate buy-downs and other creative tools that enhance affordability. These incentives not only increase buyer engagement but also reduce upfront costs and monthly payments, making their homes significantly more attractive to potential buyers, especially when compared to similarly priced resales.
Ironically, resale sellers are often quick to reduce their asking prices in an effort to stimulate buyer interest, yet overlook the more impactful approach of reallocating that same price reduction toward buyer costs.
Consider this example: A seller lists a home at $800,000 with 10 percent
thing all the time here in the promised land.
As I get out of the car, he calls out. “Brother,” he says, “could you spare a dollar?”
Well. I could, but I don’t. Instead, I walk toward the store, moving away until the voice by the tree is lost in the general noise.
The store’s entryway is one of those airlock-style double doors designed to keep outside stuff outside. As I approach, the outer doors open, letting me in. Immediately the air is cooler. Then the inner doors open too. I step through them into blessed coolness, surrounded by the castoffs of others, searching for fire-sale pricing on things I don’t even need.
I make a quick run through the store. Nothing catches my eye. So I
Appen Media aims to present a variety of views in its opinion pages. Send your thoughts, questions and letters to pat@ appenmedia.com.
down. Instead of reducing the price to $780,000, the seller could offer $20,000 toward the buyer’s closing costs or rate buy-down.
Let’s break that down:
• At $800,000 with 10 percent down, the buyer puts down $80,000.
• At $780,000, the buyer puts down $78,000 — a $2,000 difference.
• The monthly mortgage savings from the $20,000 price reduction might equate to around $150/month.
• However, if the $800,000 seller contributes $20,000 toward costs, the buyer avoids that amount in out-ofpocket expenses.
To recoup the $18,000 in upfront savings (after adjusting for the $2,000
turn to go, back through the airlock that isolates the comfort inside from the inferno beyond.
Yeah, it’s hot. But don’t they say that heat refines?
I reach the car and can’t help but look toward the tree. The homeless guy is still there. He sees me, and he says again, “Brother, could you spare a dollar?”
And I stop.
I know what you are thinking: Don’t feed the need. Don’t be an enabler. Don’t fall for it. Don’t. He will just take the money and fritter it away.
No one will condemn me, I say to myself, if I just get in the car and go. I’ve got the power – the power to do what I want with my five-dollar bill. I open the car door and settle into the seat. I crank the engine. Cold air
larger down payment), the $780,000 buyer would need approximately 120 months — 10 years — of $150/month savings to break even, not accounting for the time value of money. Clearly, the incentive strategy is more compelling from a financial standpoint.
This isn’t a novel concept. Prior to 2022–2023, it was standard practice in many markets. Builders quickly reverted to this proven strategy as market conditions shifted. It may now be time for resale sellers to do the same — to “walk like a builder” and employ the tactics that have long proven effective in driving buyer decisions.
D.C. Aiken is vice president, producing production manager for CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC, NMLS #3029. For more insights, you can subscribe to his newsletter at dcaiken. com.
The opinions expressed within this article may not reflect the opinions or views of CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC or its affiliates.
pours from the vents.
So heat refines?
I sigh, and I open the car door again. I climb out, back into the miserable July afternoon. I reach into my pocket and pull out the fiver and walk 7 yards and give it away.
“Thanks, brother,” he says. Did I throw away five dollars?
“You’ve been had,” you are thinking. “He played you.”
Maybe. Maybe not.
As I get back into my air-conditioned kingdom, with my groceries on the seat beside me, on the way home to my comfortable house and my cozy life and my prospects for tomorrow, I think again of the guy under the tree.
Sure, I gave him five dollars.
Maybe I did it for him. But maybe I did it for me.
DC Aiken
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public schools would lose state funding for each student who took a voucher.
“It is a battle for the soul of our education system,” Parkes said.
“I’ve got news for you,” responded Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, the chief co-sponsor of the bill. “The wealthy already have school choice, including some wealthy members in this room who have been able to exercise school choice for their own children.”
Supporters of the bill, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a month after passage, said the loss of state funding for public schools would not hurt them because they would no longer have to cover the cost of educating the voucher recipients.
The commission reports that three quarters of
Continued from Page 1
In March, Bradberry sent a letter to a Postal Service district manager asking for a unique Johns Creek ZIP code. U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff joined him with letters supporting the change.
“As our city continues to strive to develop its own sense of community,
recipients are “lower-income,” meaning the students are coming from households with incomes at or below four times the federal poverty level. ($106,600 a year for a family of three and $128,600 for a family of four.)
Half of the recipients are Black and a third are white.
Two metro Atlanta districts will lose the most students — DeKalb County, with nearly 900 scholarship recipients, and Henry County, with nearly 800. Others rounding out the top five districts losing students to vouchers are Bibb County, at nearly 600 students; Richmond County at nearly 500, and Savannah-Chatham County with more than 400.
The commission cautioned that the numbers are a moving target because some students may yet opt out. But the participation numbers are well below the $141 million that lawmakers budgeted for this school year.
Tony West, Georgia director of Americans for Prosperity, a group that lobbied for this program,
identity and place, we know that having our name ‘Johns Creek’ clear for everyone, both inside and outside our city, is vital,” Bradberry said.
The district manager responded by recommending a “preferred last line” change that would allow all residents to list their address in Johns Creek. ZIP codes would remain the same. The change would utilize a four-digit ZIP code modifier, which would primarily be for internal use by the Postal Service.
Pre-planning
Funeral
770-645-1414
info@northsidechapel.com www.northsidechapel.com
During these turbulent times, we would like to highlight the continued courage and commitment of everyone who works in the health care, law enforcement,
food
and utility sectors. We are extremely grateful.
Bennett Boyd, age 55, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 17, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Sydney DeSouza, age 88, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 18, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Richard Dey, age 90, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 22, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Patrick Hawes, age 77 of Roswell, GA passed away on July 16, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
attributed the low participation to several potential reasons: parents haven’t heard of the program yet, they know about it but are skeptical or they did not apply because they do not live in the attendance zone of an eligible public school.
Only 56% of applicants were approved, which suggests that many who applied do not live near an underperforming school. Address and state residency were the two main qualifying criteria.
“I think that strongly suggests that the eligibility requirements are too restrictive,” said West, who noted that 16 states with similar scholarship programs have not based eligibility on address. He can see his group lobbying state lawmakers to convert Georgia’s program to universal access.
“We’ll see what the political appetite is moving forward,” he said.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
Bradberry said the city could have continued its request for a unique ZIP code, but it would carry considerable risk. If the Postal Service rejected the request, the city would have to wait 10 years for a subsequent review.
“From research, it appears that almost all ZIP code changes are denied, with there being only one change in the last 20-30 years,” the mayor said.
Additionally, a unique five-digit ZIP code could create issues for residents and businesses who would be re -
quired to change billing information, stationery and letterheads. Under the preferred last line change, addresses could list Johns Creek as their city or include the city they previously used.
The mayor described the current request as a “sweet spot.”
“Therefore, participation by individual residents and businesses would be flexible and voluntary in how much or how little they engage with ‘Johns Creek’ as the new preferred last line city name,” Bradberry said.
Shaila Pandit, age 80, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 18, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Susan Stinecipher, age 53, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 17, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Elizabeth Towater, age 80, of Milton, GA passed away on July 19, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Lori Young, 66, Roswell, GA passed away on July 21, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Continued from Page 1
If commissioners raise the property tax rate by 1 mill, revenues are expected to increase just under $80 million.
Fulton County’s fiscal year begins in January, meaning the budget is fed with revenues collected in the fall. Before the county can collect taxes, it must set a millage rate.
The county commissioners voting in favor of the 1-mill rate cap – Marvin Arrington Jr., Dana Barrett, Mo Ivory and Khadijah Abdur-Rahman – cited a need to fund jail improvements and other programs amid potential cuts in federal funding.
Ellis, who has represented District 1 since 2015, said addressing the Fulton County Jail and its federally mandated upgrades will be handled in upcoming budget cycles. He said if the county collects an additional $80 million this year, the budget will have to be adjusted to spend the funds.
“Our finances are in solid shape. We’ve got solid credit ratings [and] a solid fund balance,” Ellis said. “Yes, we have needs ahead of us that people want to point to and say, ‘oh, the county somehow in crisis and all that.’ But these are generally things that
we’re going to be doing from a capital standpoint. They don’t have anything to do with the 2025 budget.”
During a July 23 interview with Appen Media, Ellis said the proposed tax hike affects residents countywide, not just District 1 in North Fulton.
Citing data shared with county commissioners in May, he said expenses are tracking below budget, coming in around 35 percent through 42 percent of the fiscal year.
“I think it’s totally unnecessary, and it flies in the face of the budget we adopted,” Ellis said. “There is no gap in revenue needed to meet our budget if we hold it at 8.87 [mills].”
A tax rate of 1 mill represents a tax liability of $1 per $1,000 of assessed value on property.
While new state laws do not allow the taxable value of a homesteaded property to increase more than the inflation rate each year, no matter how much the home gains in real value, property owners are not protected from a hike in the millage rate.
Both North Fulton commissioners told Appen Media in July they think District 6 Commissioner AbdurRahman will vote to keep the millage rate flat, after her response to public opposition. Four votes are needed to adopt a final rate.
County Commissioner Ivory, representing Midtown and downtown
Atlanta in District 4, indicated she is looking for three other commissioners to join her motion to adopt the 1-mill increase.
Some Fulton County residents — homeowners and renters — have made it clear that they cannot afford a tax hike and may have to move.
Nearly 50 people stopped by Assembly Hall off Pryor Street in downtown Atlanta July 9 to speak in opposition to the proposed tax increase. Another 274 signed up to comment via Zoom.
Chairman Pitts, in a July 15 meeting recap, said he has received hundreds of emails from constituents voicing their strong opposition to the tax hike.
“During my tenure with Fulton County, I can tell you that this amount of participation in public comment is truly unprecedented,” Pitts said, adding that he agrees with public opposition.
“The participants hailed from every city and all corners of Fulton County, and the overwhelming majority of them have one thing in common — they are downright angry that the Board of Commissioners has proposed a property tax increase of over 12 percent.”
Pitts called the 1-mill increase “unwise and unjust,” adding that county staff advised elected officials that there is no need for an increase.
The third and final public hearing before adoption of the 2025 millage rate will take place during the Aug.
6 Board of Commissioners meeting. Following the public hearing, county commissioners will vote to adopt the official rate.
CITY OF JOHNS CREEK PUBLIC NOTICE
PURPOSE
An Alcoholic Beverage License Application was submitted to the City on July 11, 2025 for Consumption on Premises of Wine
OWNER/OFFICERS Honey Birds LLC
3719 Old Alabama Rd Suite 200G Johns Creek, GA 30022
Owners, Valeriya Zalland
NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the fulltime Vice President of Client Programs position. The Vice President of Client Programs (VPCP) is a senior leader responsible for creating and implementing the Client Services department strategy for NFCC. This includes creating programs and services, monitoring their effectiveness and ensuring funds are distributed appropriately. The VPCP also leads a team of 13 client services staff who handle client intake, case management, impact and outcomes data, education (GED/English classes) and workforce development programs.
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Sawnee EMC is seeking an Accounts Receivable Clerk to reconcile consumer accounts and process members’ transactions (i.e., Cash, Check, Credit Card, or Money Order). Will supply information to customers and resolve customer inquiries through face-to-face communication. Requires: high school diploma or equivalency, proficiency in mathematics, monetary, and general office skills. A minimum of two years of related experience preferred. Position is full-time; must be flexible to work irregular hours, to include evenings and weekends.
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Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled and Protected Veterans. Sawnee EMC is VEVRAA Federal Contractor. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Drug Free Workplace.
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