Brookhaven officials have produced a 24-page budget booklet to help residents better understand the “complicated” Brookhaven 2027 budget process.
Brookhaven Director of Communications Burke Brennan said the production of a physical booklet, entitled “2027 Proposed Budget in Brief “is a first-time effort.
“The impetus is what the administration has heard in previous budget cycles – that residents want to understand the budget process, including where tax funds come from and how and why they are spent,” Brennan said. “The complete budget is posted online, as it is every year. But at ~350 pages (sometimes more), it is too voluminous for most people to digest. This is an attempt to condense the information in a format which is easier to consume.”
The booklet was compiled in-house, with input from the city’s administration, finance department, and various other department directors at an initial cost of about $800, Brennan said. That expense will increase after the budget is adopted as the booklet is a working document.
Each city council member will host a community meeting about the budget, along with two public hearings at City Centre on Nov. 3 and Nov. 17. After the budget is adopted, a final version of the amended budget will be mailed to residents.
“The bottom line is we are trying to simplify a complicated document and a complicated process,”Brennan said. Everyone will still have access to the complete budget on the city website, but also this as well.”
2027 budget includes no new programs
An introduction in the booklet said that the 2027 budget will include no new or expanded programs, along with “targeted spending and staff reductions for a balanced budget and 3.85 millage rate.”
The $45.6 million budget will be derived mainly from taxes (84%) and licenses and permit fees (8.8%), with the newly established 3.58 millage rate. Last year, the budget was $38 million with a 2.74 millage rate, which had been in effect since 2015.
In early June, Brookhaven officials said that, in order to fund its upcoming fiscal year expenditures, it was proposing a 3.85 millage rate, resulting in a 1.233-mill increase over the rollback millage rate.
A standing-room-only crowd attended a Brookhaven City Council meeting on June 23 to let the panel know that it was unhappy with the proposal to increase the city’s millage rate without a referendum.
About 150 people attended the meeting in the council chambers, while another 100 watched the proceedings on a video feed on the first floor of City Centre.
After the public hearing, the council unanimously passed the millage rate increase during its regular meeting. All the council members, including Mayor John Park, said they struggled with the decision, but economic pressures forced the issue.
Budget details
According to the booklet, about 60% of the general fund supports 217 full-time and 22 part-time employees. Other major expenditures include insurance ($1.3 million) and utility costs for two recreation buildings, the public safety building, the PEP building, and City Centre($1.2 million).
The proposed budget calls for more than $18 million to be spent on public safety, supporting 116 full-time employees and three part-time employees.
The booklet also includes a 2027 capital improvement project list, which includes:
- Peachtree Creek Greenway Phase II – Extends the greenway south from North Druid Hills Road to the Brookhaven/Atlanta line, connecting to the regional trail network. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027.
- Peachtree Creek Greenway Phase III – Extends the greenway north from Briarwood Road to the Chamblee line. Engineering is underway to finalize the trail alignment approved by council on August 25
- Peachtree Creek Connector Bridge – Adds a pedestrian bridge over I-85 between West Druid Hills Drive and Emory University’s Executive Park Campus. Plans include a 14-foot multiuse path, stairs, elevator, and ADA ramp access to the greenway.
- Brookhaven Southern Connector Bridge – Creates a vehicle connection across I-85 between Buford Highway and Chantilly Drive, providing secondary access to Executive Park and an alternative route for public safety response.
- Ashford Dunwoody Road/Windsor Parkway Intersection Improvement Project – Improves traffic flow and safety with a roundabout, a multi-use path along ADR, and a sidewalk beside St. Martin’s Episcopal Church and the school on Windsor Parkway.
Several of the projects on the capital expenditure list, including the southern connector bridge and the Windsor Parkway improvement project, have met with significant pushback by residents.
