School budget spending details draw comments at Milton forum

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — Fulton County District 2 School Board member Lillie Pozatek held a community meeting on April 18 where educators and community members gathered at Hopewell Middle School in Milton to hear details on the school district’s proposed 2023-2024 budget.

Pozatek, who represents areas of Alpharetta and Milton said the meeting was also an opportunity to get feedback from her district on the proposed 2023-24 budget, rounding out at about $1.1 billion.

“I know this is a team effort, I am here to represent you,” Pozatek said.

ken down into operations and staffing costs, economics and business development, industry support and communications.

The leadership retreat, projected to cost $36,000, is a structured trip to one of Roswell’s sister cities, like Asheville, North Carolina. Roswell Inc members meet with city staff and department heads to determine best practices.

Following the presentation, Roswell

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Mayor Kurt Wilson asked Stroud, “What does success look like for Roswell Inc?”

Stroud said success is helping grow existing businesses and welcoming new businesses, using the economic strategy created by the mayor and council. Roswell Inc is primarily targeting information technology and medical companies.

Visit Roswell, the city’s destination marketing organization, presented a

See PITCHES, Page 20

Fulton County Schools Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef presented the budget, which is scheduled to be adopted on June 6. The budget has been discussed at previous school board meetings, and it calls for employees to receive a 7 percent salary increase for the 20232024 school year.

Dereef said the compensation increase is the highlight to the budget, because “we’re in a competitive market” with neighboring school districts in DeKalb and Cobb County.

“We have 10 school districts that border us, that’s our competition,” Dereef said.

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See BUDGET, Page 9

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Car burglaries reported to Alpharetta Police

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Between March 31 and April 8, Alpharetta police investigated multiple vehicle burglaries that occurred throughout the city.

Reports said the first burglary was investigated at the Benihana restaurant on Mansell Road March 31 at about 11 p.m., after a restaurant patron discovered their vehicle’s rear passenger window had been shattered.

From security camera footage at the restaurant, officers were able to see a grey Kia Optima pulling up next to the victim’s vehicle and suspects breaking in.

On April 8 and 9, vehicles were burglarized at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel on Kimball Bridge Road and the Passador Brazilian Steakhouse on Mansell Road. In both cases, the vehicles’ windows were shattered, but no items were stolen.

In the later incidents, no security cameras were available to capture the burglaries.

At the time of the report, no suspects had been identified.

Police subdue suspect sought in disturbance

ROSWELL, Ga. — Police arrested a 31-year-old Thomasville man on terroristic threats and obstruction of a law enforcement officer after an altercation on April 13 at the Shell gas station on Holcomb Bridge Road. Police responded to a public disturbance at the gas station and found a man that officers believed had a mental health defect. The gas station employee asked the officers to issue a trespass warning and escort him off the property.

When police explained the trespass warning, the man told officers “Not to threaten him.” The officers said the man then threatened to kill them. When they began to place the man under arrest, he did not follow commands and told the police to keep their hands to themselves.

Police warned the man he would be tased if he did not comply, but he continued to resist and an officer tased him in the back and thigh. The officer then fired a second volley of tasers at closer range and officers took the man to the ground and put him in handcuffs.

The officers took the man to North Fulton Hospital for a medical evaluation and took out a felony warrant for terroristic threats and a misdemeanor warrant for obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

New Mercedes Benz stolen using fake ID

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A thief used a fake ID and a forged check to drive a $160,000 Mercedes Benz SUV off an Alpharetta car lot April 7.

Police were called to a Lincoln dealership on Mansell Road April 13, after it was reported that a man using a North Carolina driver’s license and a $35,000 check written out in the same name had stolen a 2021 Mercedes G-Class SUV from the dealership April 7.

Police were told the suspect completed all paperwork online before coming to the dealership and nothing seemed out of place for almost a week, until the dealership received a phone call from a North Carolina man, who said his identity had been fraudulently used to buy the car.

When the theft was discovered April 13, the dealership hadn’t deposited the $35,000 down payment check yet and learned from PNC Bank that it was fraudulent. A police database check for the driver’s license used in the transaction also showed the ID card provided to the dealership was fake.

Staff at the dealership identified the suspect as a 60-year-old White man with gray hair and brown eyes.

Roswell man arrested for assault with bottle

ROSWELL, Ga. — Police arrested a 22-year-old Roswell man for aggravated assault outside a Mexican restaurant on Holcomb Bridge Road April 16 after witnesses said he struck and injured someone with a glass bottle.

Officers arrived on the scene to find the victim with wounds to the face and chest. The police treated the victim and transported him to North Fulton Hospital, then spoke to witnesses. One witness stated that the suspect struck the other person in the head with a glass bottle. Police took the suspect into custody. He told police that he had been in a verbal altercation that got physical. The man told police he hit the other person with a glass bottle.

With a witness statement and admission from the suspect, officers took the man into custody on aggravated assault charges and transported him to Fulton County Jail.