Brookhaven May Foot $30,000 Bill for Run-offs

With 24 candidates running for the mayoral and four city council seats, Brookhaven is almost guaranteed to have a run-off election on Dec. 4 because in order to win any election in Georgia, a candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the votes cast.

And when Brookhaven has its run-off, it will have to foot the estimated $30,000 bill.

DeKalb County is paying the costs for the Georgia General Election on Nov. 6, which includes Brookhaven's special election for mayoral and city council candidates.

"They're getting sort of a free ride," DeKalb County Board of Elections Director Maxine Daniels told Brookhaven Patch Wednesday, since the Brookhaven election is being held in conjunction with the general election. However, Brookhaven will have to pay the cost of mailing new voter cards to residents to alert them of new precinct changes.

Those cards are being mailed out today, she said.

However, because most candidates in the county are running unopposed or against only one challenger, there is a slim chance of there being any other run-off elections in DeKalb County.

This means that Brookhaven would have to pay for its own election, explained Daniels.

What do you think about Brookhaven having to foot the bil for its run-off elections in December? Weigh in below in the comments.

Daniels said she estimates the cost for Brookhaven's run-off to be $30,000 because that's how much it cost Dunwoody, which has about the same number of precincts as Brookhaven, after it incorporated in December 2008.

Brookhaven would have two years to pay back the $30,000, according to state incorporation statutes, but the county bills the city immediately. Dunwoody paid its balance off in about six months.