Why I Support the City of Brookhaven

When I identify myself as  proponent of a City of Brookhaven I'm often asked why someone should support the formation of the municipality.  Although I can't suggest why someone else should support this effort, I can relatevwhy I support the initiative to form a City of Brookhaven.

The study authored by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government presents data.  Each of us will draw ourvconclusions by viewing that data through a prism of our own experience and bias.

These are my reasons:


Better representation - no elected local officials currently live within the footprint of the proposed City of Brookhaven.
A new City would require a councilperson to live in his / her voting district.

Increased voting power - today I am 1 of 160,000 constituents of my County Commissioner. A new city would have a ratio of one elected official for every 10,000 voters. A sixteen fold improvement.

Parks maintenance - Blackburn and Murphey Candler are beautiful properties with not enough money in the County budget to keep them clean and safe. The proposed new city budget could increase investment in
our parks by 300 percent.

Improved services - services today are delivered by hard working dedicated County employees.  A new City of Brookhaven will have services delivered by a combination of employees and outsourcing companies.  Outsourcing encourages competition and innovative approaches to new and imaginative service delivery.  As a small example; Dunwoody residents can have the police do a security check  of their homes while on vacation.

Decreased tax burden - as property values decline millage rates tend to increase to make up the deficit.  A new city charter would place a ceiling of 3.35 mils on the tax burden.  A referendum would be required to go past that ceiling.  The process encourages more efficient government and gives me a voice in governing.

Community - it's become increasingly difficult to identify with a county government nearly 10 miles away through congested traffic. A smaller municipal footprint has the potential to re-establish the feeling of community and energy we once had in north DeKalb.

Code Enforcement - having a local elected official living within the district they represent will improve the awareness of a need for zoning, planning, and enforcement in their neighborhood.

In summary, the City of Brookhaven has the potential to lower my tax burden while improving the efficiency and delivery of services I receive.


Stan Segal is a board member of the cityhood advocacy group BrookhavenYES and is a resident of Hampton Hall.