Thursday, May 23, 2013
The new software allows the public to see how each council member voted on city issues in real time.
The City of Brookhaven will take another step toward transparency by streaming all city council meetings live online. Starting Tuesday, community members can start attending meetings virtually through the city web site. The live streaming is scheduled to be launched at the next city council meeting, scheduled for Tuesday at the Brookhaven Municipal Court. The new cloud-based software, provided by IQM2, allows viewers to watch live from a computer and later from smart devices. All videos will be archived on the city web site and tagged to links within the meeting agenda, enabling viewers to search and skip to specific portions of video footage. “Now residents can participate in their city government from the comfort of their own living room…
The PCIDs will fund the improvement project. Gov. Nathan Deal called it a project of statewide significance. The PCIDs include Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and Brookhaven. The I-285/Ga. 400 partnerships also include Chamblee and Doraville.
Last January, Yvonne Williams, President and CEO of the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, said that despite the failed TSPLOST measure last summer, the PCIDS was still pursuing improvements to the Ga. 400/I-285 interchange. “We’ve got to keep the needle on this project and see how we can start forwarding its agenda,” said Williams to Rotary Club of Sandy Springs members, in January. “It’s been put on the Atlanta Regional Commission as a new project.” On Wednesday, Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the PCIDS has committed $10.5 million to I-285/Ga. 400 Interchange improvements. Deal called it a project of statewide significance. The funds are seed money toward the $450 million project. A press statement said the PCIDs boards will …
Monday, May 20, 2013
An editorial cartoon about Pink Pony's lawsuit against the city of Brookhaven by resident JD Clockadale.
Resident JD Clockadale sends in this cartoon about the Pink Pony's lawsuit against the city of Brookhaven. Read also:
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The live coverage is over, but replay the live blog to see what all the hype was about.
President Barack Obama gave the 129th commencement address speech on a wet and rainy Sunday afternoon, May 19th, at Morehouse College. Obama began his remarks to an excited yet wet crowd,most of whom had been seated as early as 6 am. at approximately 11:30 am. The sky opened just before the speech began, and the crowd was treated to a steady downpour throughout. Obama quipped that, “I would be out there with you, but the Secret Service gets nervous.” Obama was greeted with a big cheer when he emerged from a building adjacent to the stage with Morehouse College president John Silvanus Wilson, a former White House aide. The invocation was given by Rev. Raphael Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous church. …
Friday, May 17, 2013
The city anticipates generating $350,000 from street lights in 2013.
Brookhaven businesses will soon begin taking some of the burden off homeowners to help keep the city well-lit. DeKalb County currently only charges residential property owners to pay for street lights, although some commercial properties are included in these residential street light districts. But that will change starting in 2014. On Tuesday, the Brookhaven City Council voted unanimously to take over DeKalb’s street light assessment program and expand it to include commercial and multi-unit property owners. “Right now the residents have been carrying the entire community,” City Manager Marie L. Garrett said. “We want to create a level playing field and ensure the burden of keeping our local streets safe and well-lit is evenly divided …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Traffic and police were among the issues discussed.
You can find out how Brookhaven's town hall meeting went earlier this week, in case you couldn't make it. A video of the meeting was uploaded to Youtube video by the Brookhaven Post. Topics at the meeting included traffic issues, police, and some of the city's accomplishments. The video is attached to this article.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
A group of residents want DeKalb County to put a new animal shelter on a site near DeKalb Peachtree Airport.
DeKalb County animal advocates continue to pressure county government to open a new animal shelter on a site near DeKalb Peachtree Airport in Chamblee. Advocates for DeKalb Animals, a group of residents, went before the county's board of commissioners Tuesday, demanding they approve $2.75 million in federal stimulus money to build a new shelter on a 5-acre parcel adjacent to the airport, according to myfoxatlanta.com. From the story: The group claims that the current shelter off Memorial Drive, is killing extremely high numbers of animals. They specifically cite that over 3,000 animals were killed at the shelter last year alone. They say a newer, bigger facility would reduce that number. Some commissioners in the past have voiced concern …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Brookhaven strip club wants to continue selling alcohol, which a city law prohibits.
The Pink Pony has sued the city of Brookhaven because it wants to continue selling alcohol. The strip club, which has threatened to sue the city for months, filed the suit Monday in DeKalb Superior Court, according to Reporter Newspapers. The new city government has passed a law that prohibits the sale of alcohol in establishments where nude dancing occurs, and the Pink Pony believes the law should apply only to new businesses within the city. The Pink Pony on Corporate Boulevard off Buford Highway previously operated under county ordinances until Brookhaven's city government launched late last year. The city drew its boundaries specifically to include the club, the club's attorney told myfoxatlanta.com. From the Fox story: Lawyers for the…
The council will hold a 4:30 p.m. work session and a 7 p.m. regular meeting.
The Brookhaven City Council will meet in both a work session and a regular meeting Tuesday. Among the items on regular meeting's 7 p.m. agenda: See the city's website for additional agendas and documentation.
To take care of the system's various needs, the $48 flat fee probably won't be sufficient, an official said in a recent news report.
Brookhaven is planning to take the reins of its stormwater management from DeKalb County, and residents could see an increase in the $48 flat fee they currently pay, according to a Reporter Newspapers article. In the report, the city's public works director, Richard Meehan, said the current $48 flat fee probably won't be sufficient to take care of the system's various needs, including replacing pipes. Brookhaven has one advantage going into its new responsibility: the county has already taken an inventory of the system, so the city doesn't have that expense to deal with, according to the article.
JT
8:52 am on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Agreed, way more important things right now and have a tight budget as is. There is no upside to this (seriously, even if Brookhaven won "yay?" we eliminated a solid tax base by constricting their revenue. That makes sense.) and all downside. Just don't understand how this is being pursued unless you had some huge moral objection on a personal level (which seems to be the case) the citizens of … more ›