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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Johns Creek City Council Work Session – October 5, 2026

City Council — Monday, October 5, 2026

BodyJohns Creek, Georgia

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, October 5, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 58:51

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:01

Thank

Speaker 1

0:01

you, Mayor.

0:02

We are recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:04

I

Speaker 2

0:04

would like to call this work session of John Screek City Council to order on this Monday, October 5th.

Speaker 1

0:10

Thank you.

0:11

Would you please select the Pledge of Allegiance?

Speaker 3

0:25

Under

Speaker 2

0:26

school.

Speaker 1

0:31

Mayor Shermarks.

Speaker 2

0:33

Yeah, I actually do.

0:35

I just wanted to alert folks, anybody that was planning on coming tonight at 6 p.m.

0:41

for a uh milled rate hearing, just know that that's been rescheduled.

0:45

Uh we had a little glitch with the uh

Unassigned speaker

0:49

uh

Speaker 2

0:49

schedule.

0:50

And so that will be uh on October 26th.

0:53

We'll have those at 11 a.m.

0:55

and at 7 p.m.

0:56

If you're on your way and you still want to come down and share your opinion, you can always do that as part of the council meeting.

Unassigned speaker

1:02

All

Speaker 4

1:02

right.

1:02

That's

Speaker 2

1:03

it.

Speaker 1

1:03

Thank you, Mayor.

1:05

Nothing under strategic priorities.

1:06

The first item under ongoing projects is mobile food vendor ordinance.

1:10

And we have two department heads.

1:12

I'm not sure who is gonna kick us off.

Speaker 5

1:14

I want to wait to start it, but I want to first thank Michael, because it is his first work session before council.

1:20

Uh we were fortunate enough to co-author this uh agenda item, which is for the ordinance to establish a mobile food vendor pilot program at the boardwalk at town center.

1:30

Essentially, staff is proposing a 12-month pilot program to introduce mobile food vending, which would also include push carts at the boardwalk at town center.

1:39

Uh the food vending on City One property is currently limited to activity occurring in connection with city-sponsored or city permitted events.

1:46

Independent vending is not presently authorized at the city uh at city parks, including the boardwalk.

Unassigned speaker

1:52

Uh

Speaker 5

1:52

the pilot program aims to evaluate the impact of independent food vending on pedestrian activity and park vibrancy.

1:58

And this program will be the first in the city's uh authorization of independent mobile food vending on city park property.

2:05

And with that, we did uh present the ordinance which identifies location and hours, permitting uh process and requirements, site and public safety protections, insurance and indemnification requirements, as well as uh accounting for the fact that alcohol would not be authorized in terms of specific to these independent uh vendors.

2:27

Uh again, the pilot program is for a 12-month period in which time uh director of parks and recreation will come back before council with sort of the evaluation of information that we have identified within that uh one year program.

2:41

And with any feedback, any questions that you may have, depending on what that may be in the and again, Michael is here to answer those questions as well as I uh we'll come back to council uh with uh for review at the public hearing on October 26, 2026.

2:56

Thank

Unassigned speaker

2:57

you.

Unassigned speaker

3:00

Well,

Speaker 2

3:00

I think that's great.

3:01

I think it's a great next part of our evolution at the boardwalk.

3:06

And I'm assuming that all the regulations, the different things that you are putting out there as requirements, are kind of the bare minimum.

3:14

So there's none of

Unassigned speaker

3:15

that

Speaker 2

3:16

that could be streamlined at all.

Speaker 5

3:20

A lot of it is already streamlined in terms of the information is there.

3:23

It's very basic in terms of like ownership, who owns the business, who is going to be vending, uh more from a safety uh liability standpoint from our end.

3:31

So we just wanted to account for that.

3:33

But beyond that, the actual program in itself, the application form will be produced by proxy recreation.

3:39

Um being that it's limited to just the parks, uh, the boardwalk here, uh it makes it much more simple and it could be a process that most likely could be streamlined.

Speaker 2

3:47

And then my other question is is there a target of you know, you know, when I th uh envision this, I'm thinking popcorn, pretzels, hot dogs, popsicles.

3:59

I don't know what else is kind of in that category, but I mean is there do you have candidates or do you see where this is going?

Speaker 5

4:07

Not that we are specifically aware of.

4:09

This was from understanding the impact and the success that we have with the 250 celebration here at the boardwalk, and I believe that there may be more opportunities in the future with Medley coming on board as well.

4:20

And so there's going to be a certain level of vibrancy and in order for the success of any push card or a food vendor, there needs to be some feed on the ground.

4:29

And so it's more of being prepared anticipating for what may be come in the future.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████████████49%

Transportation Safety█████████████████19%

Pedestrian Safety██████████11%

Public Engagement██████6%

Lighting█████5%

Procedural███3%

Cannabis Regulation███3%

Public Safety██2%

Personnel Matters██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Johns Creek City Council Work Session – October 5, 2026

The Johns Creek City Council held a work session on Monday, October 5, 2026, opening with the Pledge of Allegiance and Mayor's remarks. During the session, Council reviewed three ongoing projects: a proposed mobile food vendor pilot ordinance at Town Center's Boardwalk, landscape enhancements along Johns Creek Parkway, and pedestrian lighting around high schools. No minutes were available; the agenda and transcript were used. After the open-session discussions, Council moved into executive session for land, legal, or personnel matters.

Mayor's Remarks

Mayor announced the millage rate hearing scheduled for that evening at 6:00 p.m. was rescheduled to October 26, 2026, with hearings at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Citizens were still invited to share opinions during the council meeting.

Strategic Priorities

No items were reported under strategic priorities.

Ongoing Projects

Mobile Food Vendors Ordinance

Staff presented a proposed 12-month pilot program to allow independent mobile food vendors and push carts at the Boardwalk at Town Center. Independent vending is not currently authorized in city parks; this would be the city's first authorization. The proposed ordinance covers location, hours, permitting, safety, insurance and indemnification, and does not authorize alcohol.
Several council members expressed strong support, calling it a good step for activating the Boardwalk and Town Center. Questions included how vendors would be vetted and selected, consistency and commitment requirements, the $1 million liability insurance requirement, enforcement, trash, scooter and pedestrian conflicts, and whether success could be measured quantitatively.
Staff said the ordinance would rely on an administrative permitting process rather than setting detailed criteria in the ordinance; Sugar Hill and Roswell were cited as model jurisdictions. Success could be measured by applications, vendor types, frequency, complaints, safety incidents, and surveys; actual pedestrian counts were more difficult without additional technology or cost.
Council consensus was 7-0 to proceed. Staff will take the ordinance to the next council meeting for adoption, with a public hearing on October 26, 2026; it was described as potentially consent-calendar material.

Landscape Policy Implementation – Johns Creek Parkway

Staff reminded Council that the roadway landscaping and tree replanting policy was approved on August 24, 2026. The current request was for direction on whether to add enhanced landscaping in any of three identified areas along Johns Creek Parkway. With a mix of trees and bushes, all three areas were estimated at less than $100,000, using existing budget or possible tree-fund allocations.
Council generally supported moving forward, while asking staff to preserve sight lines, coordinate with Medley, keep future uses in mind, including possible farmer's market or linear park plans on adjacent land, and consider the roundabout as a potential location for public art. Some council members were comfortable leaving design details to staff and a landscape architect; others asked about design presentation and consistency with Town Center.
No formal action was required; staff was directed to develop a layout, secure bids, and complete installations during the upcoming planting season.

Lighting at Major Intersections

Staff evaluated pedestrian lighting within a quarter mile and half mile of the three high schools in the city. Option 1 would add street lights to existing utility poles through the city's utility agreement; Option 2 would build a city-owned pedestrian-scale lighting system. Staff recommended starting with Option 1 within a quarter mile.
Council discussion included strong support for Option 1, with many council members supporting the half-mile radius. Some council members questioned calling it a pilot and preferred treating it as a phased approach; others cautioned that many residents prefer dark, rural-feeling neighborhoods and wanted broader lighting direction considered during the comprehensive plan update. Staff clarified that the city can request light shades to reduce light spill and glare.
Council directed staff to proceed with Option 1, adding lights to existing utility poles within a half mile of each high school. No formal action was needed.

Routine Business

The agenda listed non-discussion routine business items: Insurance Renewals; FY27 Budget Amendment #1 – Fire Station #61 Renovation; Code Update for Solicitor; and Medlock Trail Engineering Contract. These were not discussed during the open work session.

Executive Session

Council voted to adjourn to executive session to discuss land, legal, or personnel matters. Upon returning, the Mayor reported that the executive session covered five land matters and one legal matter.

Key Outcomes

Directed staff to proceed with the mobile food vendor pilot program, with a public hearing and adoption scheduled for October 26, 2026.
Directed staff to proceed with Johns Creek Parkway landscaping enhancements, coordinated with Medley and a landscape architect, within available budget.
Directed staff to implement Option 1 pedestrian lighting on existing utility poles within a half mile of the three high schools.
Rescheduled the millage rate hearing to October 26, 2026.
Convened and concluded executive session; no votes were taken in open session on routine business.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you, Mayor. We are recording. I would like to call this work session of John Screek City Council to order on this Monday, October 5th. Thank you. Would you please select the Pledge of Allegiance? Under school. Mayor Shermarks. Yeah, I actually do. I just wanted to alert folks, anybody that was planning on coming tonight at 6 p.m. for a uh milled rate hearing, just know that that's been rescheduled. Uh we had a little glitch with the uh uh schedule. And so that will be uh on October 26th. We'll have those at 11 a.m. and at 7 p.m. If you're on your way and you still want to come down and share your opinion, you can always do that as part of the council meeting. All right. That's it. Thank you, Mayor. Nothing under strategic priorities. The first item under ongoing projects is mobile food vendor ordinance. And we have two department heads. I'm not sure who is gonna kick us off. I want to wait to start it, but I want to first thank Michael, because it is his first work session before council. Uh we were fortunate enough to co-author this uh agenda item, which is for the ordinance to establish a mobile food vendor pilot program at the boardwalk at town center. Essentially, staff is proposing a 12-month pilot program to introduce mobile food vending, which would also include push carts at the boardwalk at town center. Uh the food vending on City One property is currently limited to activity occurring in connection with city-sponsored or city permitted events. Independent vending is not presently authorized at the city uh at city parks, including the boardwalk. Uh the pilot program aims to evaluate the impact of independent food vending on pedestrian activity and park vibrancy. And this program will be the first in the city's uh authorization of independent mobile food vending on city park property. And with that, we did uh present the ordinance which identifies location and hours, permitting uh process and requirements, site and public safety protections, insurance and indemnification requirements, as well as uh accounting for the fact that alcohol would not be authorized in terms of specific to these independent uh vendors. Uh again, the pilot program is for a 12-month period in which time uh director of parks and recreation will come back before council with sort of the evaluation of information that we have identified within that uh one year program. And with any feedback, any questions that you may have, depending on what that may be in the and again, Michael is here to answer those questions as well as I uh we'll come back to council uh with uh for review at the public hearing on October 26, 2026. Thank you. Well, I think that's great. I think it's a great next part of our evolution at the boardwalk. And I'm assuming that all the regulations, the different things that you are putting out there as requirements, are kind of the bare minimum. So there's none of that that could be streamlined at all. A lot of it is already streamlined in terms of the information is there.

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