Fellow citizens,

It is my honor, on behalf of our City Council and staff, to extend our warmest wishes for a happy and prosperous new year to you and your loved ones.

I hope this message finds you home safely from any holiday travels, rested and refreshed, looking forward to the year ahead. May we continue to share in the many blessings we enjoyed throughout 2007 and in our journey together through these earliest years in our city's history. Read more.

The Johns Creek City Council meeting schedule has been revised for 2008. The Council will now hold regular meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month starting at 7 pm. A work session will precede each regular meeting starting at 5 pm.

An additional work session is scheduled for the second Monday of the month at 7 pm, but may be cancelled as appropriate. Check out the complete 2008 meeting schedule.

Mayor Mike Bodker will continue his Town Hall meeting series and encourages all residents to participate. The schedule for 2008 is below. Meeting topics will be announced closer to the date of each meeting. Please check the City Web site for updates.

All meetings begin at 7 pm in the City Council Chambers, 3rd floor of City Hall, 12000 Findley Road.

Johns Creek City Council will hold the first of four public hearings on the City's first Comprehensive Plan (now in development) at 7 pm on Jan.14. The purpose of this hearing is to:

• Brief the community on potential issues and opportunities identified by the Community Assessment,
• Hear your input on the proposed Community Participation Program,
• Announce when these plan components will be sent to the state Department of Community Affairs, and
• Receive Council's approval to send them.

Citizens will have the opportunity to comment. Click here to review supporting documents for the public hearing. Visit the Comp Plan web page again after Jan. 10 for any updates.

On December 5, Fulton County Commissioners approved a proposed settlement agreement in a lawsuit brought by several outdoor advertising firms. Under the agreement, Fulton County would retroactively allow the companies to erect 74 billboards, primarily in North Fulton including 32 in Johns Creek. The city filed a motion to intervene in the case, asking the court to reject the proposed agreement. Read more.

If you drive the city's main thoroughfares, here's what you might be looking at – literally – as shown on this map of proposed billboard locations. You can also find out more about the companies and addresses of locations being considered.

Fulton Commissioners approved the settlement agreement by a 4-3 vote. See who voted how, along with commissioners' contact info.

Businesses in the City of Johns Creek have until March 31, 2008 to renew their business tax certificates by submitting a renewal application along with full payment of all fees and taxes due. The City began mailing the renewal applications December 1 and a second notice will be mailed in mid-February.

However, failure to receive a renewal application does not relieve a business of its responsibility to pay the tax prior to the deadline. Late payments are subject to a 10 percent penalty and interest of 1.5 percent a month. Questions? Contact the Revenue Division, 678-512-3200.

City Hall will be closed Monday, January 21 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.