Politics & Government

Brookhaven Cityhood Town Hall Meeting Outlines Feasibilty Study

A representative from the Carl Vinson Institute at the University of Georgia tells residents what the study will inspect.

A warning of an impending county property tax increase of up to 4 mils or more without the promise of improved county services is what State Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-81) used to spring board Tuesday night’s informational discussion on the proposed City of Brookhaven.

“There is a property tax increase that is coming very, very soon from the Dekalb County government. It’s not fear mongering, its just a fact,” Jacobs said to a crowd of more than 200 packed inside ’s auditorium.

“When you open up the paper everyday, you read about DeKalb County’s fiscal crisis and I would argue that it is exactly that – a fiscal crises. I would also argue that in many regards, it is the result of spending beyond its means or beyond what is necessary to deliver local government services.”

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Jacobs, who is spearheading a movement to study the option to make Brookhaven its own city, told the crowd that he would  “insist” that a millage rate cap be implemented as part of the incorporation plan. Conversely, he said, DeKalb County operates without a millage rate cap.

Jacobs also told residents to anticipate new legislation to be introduced in the next legislative session that would make it more difficult for the county to “play games with how it allocates a millage rate increase.”

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The real perspective, however, will come from a feasibility study that would determine what is needed to run the city of Brookhaven or if the option is even viable based on specific boundaries, according to Jacobs.

Ted Baggett, Public Service Assistant/Local Government Program Manager for the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute said the study would look at the City of Brookhaven’s likely expenditures and revenue sources. He also said that the study only outlines facts and would not offer recommendations. The citizens, he said, would determine based on the information provided, what would be feasible for their individual community.

“First we’ve got to develop parameters about the range of services the city will deliver because that guides how we look at revenue,” Baggett said.

Baggett said examining capital investments on local facilities, determining the resourced needed to run a city hall, police station, municipal courts, and determining the kinds of revenue streams available which include revenue for an alcoholic beverage for example and potential franchise fees from utility providers such as telephone, cable, nature gas services, are examples of the information found in the study.

Jacobs said the Murphy Candler area and neighborhood surrounding Silver Lake which denote the yellow portion of the map first .

The second area to be studied, he said, would be Historic Brookhaven, Brookhaven Fields, Brookhaven Heights and Lenox Park on the west side of North Druid Hills Road.

Jacobs said a third area to be studied would be Ashford Park and Drew Valley. Jacobs said he did not include the Ashford Park community in the second study group because members of those communities spoke out at the March Town Hall Meeting.

Residents raised questions that ranged from expected property tax, to discussions around whether the option would take resources away from DeKalb County. The resounding answer from Jacobs and other proponents of the idea circled back to the study, which is the first step in determining the plan’s feasibility.

Mallard Holliday, a member of the Dunwoody non-profit that helped raise money for its cityhood study, was invited by Jacobs to speak to the crowd Tuesday. He told the audience that one of the biggest misconceptions of cityhood is that it will happen overnight.

“The residents determine whether or not they will become a city, not the bill. The bill just gives you an option.”

A Brookhaven resident Margaret McIntyre raised concerns about whether “cherry picking” the formation of cities would do the county a disservice.

Ashford Park Civic Association President Ronnie Mayer voiced his concerns about the way Jacobs presented the information Tuesday night.

“You're scaring everyone,” Mayer said.  “You’re going to have a brand new precinct right here on Clairmont Road within the next eight months. You’re going to have squad cars running all over this place. I feel offended because you’re trying to bash the police department and the fire department.”

Jacobs said a growing group of local citizens are organizing to raise money for the study, but wanted to be sure that residents understood the process.

"You the voters will ultimately decide whether you want to be included in a city," he said.


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