Brookhaven to Vote on Incorporation

July 30th, 2012

Voters who live in DeKalb County’s Brookhaven area will decide July 31st whether they want to incorporate as a city.

The area that would become the City of Brookhaven is bounded, roughly, by Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Chamblee, and Interstate 85. Melissa Weinman of the Brookhaven Reporter has covered the incorporation efforts closely, and she says the vote is too close to call.

“That’s certainly what makes Brookhaven unique in regard to the cityhood vote when you compare it to Sandy Springs or some of the other newly-created cities,” said Weinman. ”Those efforts passed just with flying colors, and I don’t think we’re going to see that in Brookhaven. I think it’s going to be much closer.”

Supporters want their tax dollars spent closer to home, and they want more local representation. Opponents say it would add another layer of bureaucracy they don’t want or need. Weinman thinks that, either way, the vote will have a lasting effect on the community.

“Because people have gotten involved and really have taken a look at their county and what they’re satisfied with and what they aren’t,” said Weinman. “So I think, whether it becomes a city or not, that’s going to have an impact.”

If the measure passes, Brookhaven would become DeKalb County’s largest city with about 49-thousand residents.