Tuesday, 4 PM: the hearing that unfreezes your tax bill

Quick reminder from Thursday's decoder: on Tuesday afternoon a Fulton County Superior Court judge hears the county's request to collect property taxes temporarily while it finishes this year's stuck value list. Milton is a co-petitioner, which is why it matters here.

If the judge says yes, the plan we decoded kicks in: county bills around mid-August at last year's rates, a settle-up notice later, and Milton's own October bills on their normal schedule. If the judge says no, the county scrambles, and Milton runs comfortably on reserves. Deputy City Manager Bernadette Harvill told us the city can operate normally for the full fiscal year if collections stall. Either way, your to-do list stays empty.

We will have the outcome and what it means in Thursday's issue.