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Estimates determined that City of Brookhaven operations could yield an annual surplus.
Residents living in the proposed City of Brookhaven could end up paying lower taxes or using an estimated $3.4 million surplus for additional services, according to the feasibility study released Monday by the Citizens for North DeKalb.
Georgia State University's Carl Vinson institute concluded that based on the study area's property taxes and insurance fees, cable, electric and gas franchise taxes, law enforcement confiscated monies, parking fees, fines and beverage taxes, the new city would yield approximately $28.5 million in revenue. Conversely, the expenses of running the city, including salaries for the city council, city manager, clerk, police, parks operations, and facilities management would cost the city approximately $25 million. This number, according to the study, includes annual operating expenses, start-up costs and capital expenditures.
Citizens for North DeKalb released yesterday the study conducted by the Carl Vinson Institute. The study is a necessary step in moving closer to establishing Brookhaven as its own city.
"I am encouraged by this report. Based on current tax revenues and estimated expenditures, a city of Brookhaven would realize a budget surplus," said Citizens for North DeKalb spokesman Stan Segal in a written statement. "The feasibility study already reflects a higher level of service than DeKalb County currently provides. The surplus could be used to finance a property tax reduction or a level of service beyond that contemplated in the study, or both."
The study area defines as its boundaries a 12.02 square-mile tract with a population of 49,188. It includes Fulton County to the west, Dunwoody to the North, Chamblee to the east and a portion of I-85 to the south. The median income of $56,231 with a 12 percent poverty rate, compared to all of unincorporated DeKalb County whose median income is 51,457 with a poverty rate of 14.5 percent.
Rep. Mike Jacobs, who is responsible for introducing the legislation to form a City of Brookhaven has scheduled two meetings to discuss the findings on Nov. 15 at Cross Keys High School and Nov. 17 at Montgomery Elementary School. Both meetings start at 7 p.m. The citizens group also plans to hold smaller informational meetings throughout the community.
Read more coverage on Brookhaven's proposed incorporation plans on our dedicated page.
Tom Doolittle
11:43 pm on Thursday, November 10, 2011
The map doesn't appear to include any of Fulton County. Did I read correctly here that Brookhaven would include a piece of Fulton?
Imagine it will be complicated.
BTW--there was once a typically-DeKalb 2 square-mle city called North Atlnnta (orAtlanta North) at Brookhaven. Saw it on a 1920-era map.
Cheryl Huvard
1:36 pm on Friday, November 11, 2011
The revenues indicated in the Vinson study for the proposed areas for a new City of Brookhaven look so good because the arbitrary boundaries drawn by the C4ND committee included areas not typically associated with the Brookhaven area solely for the revenue they would bring to the study. These areas were included to the detriment of the adjacent and nearby residential areas that were NOT included and which would be left without associated revenue-generating areas should they want to annex or incorporate in the future. Such a land-grabbing scheme ignores the greater good of the community for the benefit of a small minority. Actions such as this are one of the reasons the imbalance of financial resources in the United States has become a serious threat to our financial stability and security. People of conscience and good judgment should not allow this kind of thing to occur. Even on a small scale, it eventually has negative outcomes that affect us all.