Brookhaven, DeKalb County Approve Park Takeover, Police Fees

The Brookhaven City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to pay DeKalb County $3.2 million for police and parks services and assume control of the parks Sept. 3.

The council’s vote came several hours after the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted in support of an intergovernmental agreement between the city and county for the $3.2 million lump sum.

“We feel that the city and the county have agreed on a fair and reasonable price for the services provided,” Brookhaven Mayor J. Max Davis said. “We appreciate DeKalb assisting us in servicing our community while we got our city up and running.”

Under the agreement, Brookhaven will take over all parks in the city from the county on Sept. 3 – earlier than initially discussed. The city is now conducting a national search for a parks and recreation director.

The agreement also reimburses DeKalb County police for patrols from the city’s inception in December 2012 until July 31 when the Brookhaven Police Department launched. The agreement also says the county will provide use of the DeKalb County police helicopter, SWAT team, K-9s and other specialized police service.

The agreement comes after months of negotiations between the city and county.

“This agreement allows DeKalb County and Brookhaven to look to the future concerning our respective public safety plans. We look forward to a continued partnership as we serve all of our residents in DeKalb County,” DeKalb County interim CEO Lee May said.

The Brookhaven City Council also approved an intergovernmental agreement with Doraville for Georgia Crime Information Center services, which allows officers to check criminal histories, stolen property lists, wanted suspects, missing people and other important law enforcement data on the state computer system.

This report was provided by the city and edited for publication.