Fulton County commissioners will meet Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m. at the Government Center's Assembly Hall in Atlanta, the board's first regular session since a July that saw the panel reject Atlanta's tax district expansion and approve $1.36 billion in jail bonds.

The county announced the meeting Monday, Aug. 3. As of that date, the agenda had not been posted publicly.

Wednesday's session follows a joint meeting Monday between all seven commissioners and the 15 mayors of Fulton County's cities, including Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul. As we reported July 31, no agenda or topics were confirmed in advance of that session, and outcomes have not yet been released.

What happened in July

At the board's July 15 meeting, commissioners voted 4-1 to decline Atlanta's proposed 30-year extension of six Tax Allocation Districts. The vote blocked what the county estimated would have diverted more than $1 billion in property tax revenue over three decades.

The resolution was co-sponsored by Vice Chair Khadijah Abdur-Rahman and District 2 Commissioner Bob Ellis. As we reported Saturday, the decision has sparked an escalating dispute between the county and Atlanta.

Fulton County has already contributed more than $413 million to Atlanta redevelopment initiatives since 2013, according to a county press release. In 2025 alone, county taxpayers forwent approximately $53 million in property tax revenue to support Atlanta's existing TADs.

Ellis, whose District 2 includes parts of Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton, and Mountain Park, told Rough Draft Atlanta on July 31: "It results in diversion of $1 billion of Fulton County tax money that we otherwise need to fund projects that we are doing right now that we have committed to."

District 3 Commissioner Dana Barrett, who represents Sandy Springs, told WABE the same day that more negotiation should have occurred before the vote.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens responded with a four-page letter to commissioners on July 30, criticizing both the TAD decision and the board's April 15 approval of up to $1.363 billion in jail improvement revenue bonds. Dickens also withdrew a prior $80 million offer to sell the Atlanta City Detention Center to the county.

Sandy Springs connection

The stakes are local. At the same July 15 meeting, the board approved a transfer of roughly 3,044 square feet of county property to the City of Sandy Springs for sidewalk and streetscape improvements at 5025 Roswell Road.

The seven-member board is chaired by Robb Pitts. Sandy Springs falls within Barrett's District 3, while Ellis's District 2 also covers portions of the city.

How to watch

Residents can view Wednesday's meeting live on Fulton Government Television at fultoncountyga.gov or on the county's YouTube channel. The Assembly Hall is located at 141 Pryor Street NW in Atlanta.