Brookhaven officials filed an appeal in Georgia Supreme Court Oct. 29 against a judge’s ruling that prevents the city from annexing Century Center.
On Oct. 28, DeKalb Superior Court Judge Tangela Barrie ruled that Brookhaven could not annex the Century Center office complex unless a Nov. 5 Chamblee annexation referendum fails. That annexation vote would bring the property into Chamblee.
In a news release, city officials also encouraged more county residents to petition to join Brookhaven. Mayor J. Max Davis invited residents of DeKalb County’s north-central corridor to file a petition to be annexed into the city.
“We are confident that the Supreme Court will see the merits of Brookhaven’s claims and respect the property owners’ wishes to be included in Brookhaven’s boundaries,” Davis said. “We as a city have a strong desire to expand our borders and municipalize DeKalb’s north-central corridor. We encourage any property owner – residential or commercial – to petition to be part of our city and enjoy the benefits of living in Brookhaven.”
In her Oct. 28 order, Barrie wrote that Local Act 205, the General Assembly’s legislation creating the Chamblee annexation referendum, trumps Brookhaven’s Oct. 8 vote to annex Century Center.
“By proceeding to annex using an alternative method, Brookhaven’s actions are in fact impairing the General Assembly’s authority to annex via local act because Brookhaven’s actions would essentially usurp the intent of the referendum,” Barrie wrote.