Milton residents can question three elected officials about data centers, Highway 9 and property taxes at a community forum Monday, Aug. 31, at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church.

Mayor Peyton Jamison, State Sen. Jason Dickerson and Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis will take questions from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the parish hall at 13560 Cogburn Road, according to The Roundabout newsletter.

The forum is not a City of Milton event. No decisions will be made. The Roundabout describes it as "three officials, one room, and your questions."

Data centers

All three topics on the agenda carry active stakes for Milton taxpayers. The city's data center moratorium, enacted unanimously June 15 and extended through January 2027 on July 20, bars new data center applications while the council studies the issue. At the county level, the Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 5 to oppose local subsidies for data center construction. That resolution, co-sponsored by Ellis and District 1 Commissioner Bridget Thorne, cited $1.1 billion in estimated sales tax revenue lost to state data center incentives in 2026 alone.

The Development Authority of Fulton County (DAFC) has granted $150 million in tax breaks for data centers since 2020. Zoning decisions still rest with individual cities, so Milton's moratorium and any future approvals remain local calls.

Highway 9

Traffic on Highway 9 is projected to exceed 31,000 vehicles a day. Milton took over day-to-day management of the widening project from the Georgia Department of Transportation in 2025 under a deal the council approved in September of that year. GDOT reimburses the city 100% of costs as long as work stays within the current footprint. The project covers three miles from Windward Parkway north to the Forsyth County line, with design and right-of-way work running through 2030 and construction after that.

Taxes

On July 20, the council also voted unanimously to intervene in a Fulton County Superior Court petition tied to irregularities in the 2026 tax digest. Those irregularities threatened to delay property tax collections across the county. Because Milton relies on the county's property assessments to levy and collect city taxes, joining the petition was meant to protect the city's authority to collect.

Ellis called the situation a failure in a July 24 interview with Appen Media: "You had one job and it didn't get done … That's a failure that impacts us and all of our jurisdictions."

Transportation survey deadline

The same day as the forum, the first public input window for the North Fulton Comprehensive Transportation Plan closes. The plan, developed by the Atlanta Regional Commission with Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park, Roswell and Sandy Springs, determines which road projects get in line for local, state and federal funding. Residents can take the survey at engagekh.mysocialpinpoint.com/NFCTP2027.

A second comment period opens in early 2027, but by then draft recommendations will already exist.

The next Milton City Council regular meeting is Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.