The Brookhaven City Council held a Special Meeting - the last of 2012 - Friday at the Brittany Club. 
The Meeting began at 3:30PM and there was a full council in attendance. Mayor Davis led the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Reports and Presentations – Bill Riley, Interim City Attorney
(Video Link to this presentation here)

• Current Status of Intergovernmental Agreements (IGA’s) with DeKalb County
  
• Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) – Elections work not started (low priority)
  
• Animal Control – Had discussions with DeKalb County trying to determine need for IGA or whether DeKalb will continue to provide service without one
  
• Water and Waste Water – Discussed with DeKalb County whether to adopt similar IGA to Dunwoody. DeKalb will continue to proved water and waste water services. Brookhaven will be required to pass parallel ordinances that pertain to water and waste water within the city. We will swear in DeKalb County officers and they will be coming to municipal court for the purpose of deciding on violations of ordinances.
  
• Fire – Anticipate adopting the same Fire IGA as Dunwoody, although this could change. Negotiations are still in progress. Brookhaven may not need to have and IGA specifically for fire services.
  

Returning to Water and Waste Water, Councilman Eyre asked, “Who is responsible for making repairs to roads when a repair is made by Water & Sewer?” Riley replied, “If they [Water and Sewer] are the ones who cut it up to get in to it, they are responsible for the repair. If one of their pipes blows up and damages one of our streets, they are responsible to repair it.”

Councilman Eyre questioned, “Does our Johns Creek Building code conflict with DeKalb County in respect to water and sewer?” Riley explained, “What we’ve done is, we are going ahead (after Ms. Garrett talked to the County) we’re just going to adopt DeKalb County building code [instead of John’s Creek] for the purposes of their ability to carry over the various type of activities that they may continue to do under an IGA. We anticipate we will work out some agreement for the various projects they [DeKalb County] is already on with the help of the Development Department, we’ll make a determination of where the cutoffs are going to be – where we will uptake and where the county is going to leave off. In order to ensure continuity of these [projects underway] we are going to bring to you a customized county building code that will parallel theirs and will be amended before the end of the moratorium.”

Police/911/Municipal Courts IGAs
(Video link to this presentation and discussion)

• Next week Riley will work with DeKalb County to nail down transfer of services
  
• Christopher Pike (CFO, City of Dunwoody) has been working to compile numbers on where we want to start with police services.
  
• Municipal Court probably won’t need an IGA
  
• Can make a clean cut on January 17, 2013 for municipal court being researched
  
• Likely court dates would fall after February 1st when our municipal court will begin

Mayor Davis questioned whether DeKalb County Police would have Brookhaven ticket books since DeKalb County’s courthouse address currently appears on citations. Riley explained that the City of Brookhaven would provide address labels, which DeKalb County officers will add to citations issued in Brookhaven directing people to the Brookhaven Municipal Court, as has been done in other new municipalities.

• Brookhaven will provide our own ticket books for Code Enforcement, Water and Sewer, and the Fire Department for Fire Marshalls.

Mayor Davis asked, “For the IGA [Intergovernmental Agreement] for Police, they’re going to know the borders of the city?” Riley answered, “The borders of the city are pretty well… there’s not going to be much question.” Mayor Davis continued, “Is there going to be an opportunity to train DeKalb County because their zones don’t necessarily line up with our boundaries?” Riley answered, “I think that it is going to be pretty easy for them.” Davis pointed out that he could foresee potential problems with jurisdictional issues and wants to be sure they are kept to a minimum. However Riley didn’t seem concerned that this would be an issue.

12.22.12
Brookhaven City Hall
9:30 AM

The Parks Committee presented to the Brookhaven City Council, Saturday, December 22, at Brookhaven City Hall.

Sue Binkert began the discussion followed by Terrell Carstens and Karen Whitehead. 
"What we are going to do today is give you [Council] a very very short synopsis of a process...to provide information about actionable items...to help you [Council] to identify start-up and critical issues that you're going to be dealing with in reference to parks", explained Binkert. 

Terrell Carstens followed Binkert and presented Critical Action Items.

• Critical Action Item #1: Determine a Parks and Rec annual budget.
  
• Critical Action Item #2: Parks and Rec should be set up to report directly to the City Manager - not another department - to minimize the likelihood of Parks and Rec being subordinated if it were part of another department. 
  
• Critical Action #3: Determine the acquisition date of the parks. "The sooner we take them down, the sooner we can get to work on them," said Carstens. "This will help minimize any further deterioration." 
  
• Critical Action Item #4: Search for and hire Parks and Rec Director
  

Karen Whitehead followed Carstens. She thanked the council for the opportunity to present, "I think it sends an important message to us and the community and that parks are really not going to take a back seat...I think it was an important decision to have us here." Whitehead also pointed out that the committee is looking to forward to parks purchases in September '13 (hopefully), recognizing there is much work to do...but the committee suggests a Parks Director be hired first to create the master plan.

The promise of improvements to our parks was one of the major reasons people voted to incorporate and the council should not forget - nor push aside - delivering on that promise. Of course, setting up a first class Police Force should come first...but parks should be given serious attention. The vote on the referendum to create the city of Brookhaven was approved in July by the narrowest margin of any newly created city in the Metropolitan area. Delivering on the promises of enhanced services is squarely in the sights of the citizens.

During the presentation by Karen Whitehead, District 1 Councilwoman, Rebecca Chase Williams commented, "I think the challenge is going to be people want to see some immediate improvements in the parks...you'll need to help us explain to the public that we need to go slowly to get everything in place." Whitehead responded, "We will...if we understand what's happening, it's easy to do that." "Just keep us in the loop," Tom Reilly added, (another member of the Parks Committee).

The recommendations from the committee centers around the hiring of a Parks and Rec Director - who once hired will work to develop a master plan. There was some discussion as to whether the Parks and Rec Director should be a city employee or an employee of a vendor. The parks committee would prefer the position be a city employee as opposed an employee of a city vendor - although this decision is that of the Council and City Manager.

There are many questions regarding the 2006 Bond Referendum and how it will ultimately impact Brookhavens park acquisition plans. Interim City Attorney, Bill Riley mentioned that Dunwoody is in the midst of a lawsuit regarding bonds and funds relating to parks. Councilwoman Williams questioned the existence of an interest statement on bond funds - and had previously filed an open records request herself to no avail some time ago. Riley stated that Brookhaven will file it's own Freedom of Information Act request and gather information on what was promised during the bond referendum - and how Brookhaven's Parks would or could be affected. The lawsuit in Dunwoody has been going on for about a year. Riley stated that Brookhaven will benefit from Dunwoodys lead on this topic.

Brookhaven Mayor, J Max Davis, directed a question to Interim City Atty. Riley, asking that if Brookhaven sets up it's Police in Summer of 2013, prior to acquiring the parks, could Brookhaven Police patrol the parks or does permission need to be granted. Riley answered by saying there's roads in the parks and we own the roads so we should be able to patrol. "It's important that we establish a police presence BEFORE we buy the parks", Davis said, in an attempt to ensure public safety.

Video coverage of the 12.22.12 Council Work Meeting can be found here.

- The Post

The Brookhaven City Council held a meeting this afternoon at the "Little White House" on Caldwell Rd. in Ashford Park. Mayor, J. Max Davis called the meeting to order and described the setting as "a cozy little city council meeting, befitting of what we've been doing."
And cozy it was.

Interim City Clerk, Belinda Demos, delivered the invocation, and the meeting got under way. The meeting today was a bit more lively than some of those in the past - awarding 5 vendor contracts. 

District 1 Councilwoman, Rebecca Chase Williams introduced a motion to extend Lowe Engineers a Public Works contract and thus be selected Public Works vendor. The motion was met with approval. Williams also introduced a motion to award Community Development services contracts to Clark Patterson Lee as the primary (task order), with The Collaborative, Jacobs and SAFEbuilt securing contracts as well and will work with the council further in the near future to solidify their role. 

Mayor Davis delivered his first "tie breaker" vote in the history of Brookhaven. Before the council could come to a decision on Community Development there was a motion that stimulated a discussion introduced by District 3 Councilman, Bates Mattison, whereas he wanted Pond awarded a contract as well. After some discussion it came down to a vote. District 4 Councilman Joe Gebbia and District 2 Councilman Jim Eyre both voted no, while Mattison and Williams voted yes - leaving the council tied for the first time.  Mayor Davis sided with Gebbia and Eyre and voted not to support awarding a Community Development contract to Pond.

Other business included setting the holiday schedule for the new city.

Video of the meeting can be found here.

BROOKHAVEN TAKES FIRST STEPS IN SOLIDIFYING MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND CITY MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE.
City Council Awards Contracts for IT, Finance, Courts, and Communications and Community Engagement

Taking a break from our Brookhaven City Government coverage, there is a story that has been developing over the last couple of years, that this writer felt compelled to share.

If you've travelled down Peachtree Dunwoody Rd, at the corner of Winnall Down - a block or so from Peachtree Rd - across from Little Nancy Creek Park - you've likely seen the home of Dr. Gary Gropper and family. 

Dr. Gropper, who sits on the advisory board of the Genesis Shelter, has quite an impressive display of inflatable characters that has grown over the last couple of years. The display is more than just for show. Donations can be made to benefit the Genesis Shelter and this effort has raised thousands of dollars over the last couple of years.

"We started out with one for fun. Now we are up to around 150", says Brittany Gropper. "Most days are pretty busy...the display is up all day until around midnight."

Zack Gropper, says when folks ask about the power bill, "We like to tell people that Georgia Power sends us boxes of Godiva Chocolates and leave it at that. It's alot of fun to meet and talk to folks who come by...and it's all for a good cause."

Please take a moment to stop by to take this all in. There's nothing like it.

About The Genesis Shelter

The Genesis Shelter is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves babies six months of age and younger, and their families; with a priority given to families with a newborn.  This could mean a baby and a single Mom, a couple with a baby and other children, a single Dad and his baby, or even sometimes Grandparents caring for a grandbaby.  Approximately 80% of the families served are single Mothers with a newborn and one or more additional children.

In 1994, Rabbi Alvin Sugarman and Rev. Joanna Adams brought together a coalition of faith-based organizations to address the growing issues of women leaving the hospital with newborns and living in the street or in their cars.  Since then, Genesis has served 3000 individuals in 1200 families.

To learn more about the Genesis Shelter please visit their website at www.genesisnewlife.org.

The Mayor and City Council of the new City of Brookhaven have been very busy since the run-off election December 4th. Council meetings, Special Council meetings, work sessions, etc., have become nearly a daily occurrence.

Without a budget it is hard to surmise what our new administration will be able to deliver to the citizens in the form of services. From what this writer is able to extract from discussion during council meetings, it appears Planning and Zoning and Public Works will be the likely winners. 

During the council meeting on December 16, Agenda Item 12: ACTION ITEM Discussion and Vote to Authorize Acting City Attorney to Notify DeKalb County Regarding Certain Services to the New City of Brookhaven, Georgia was discussed. Interim City Attorney, Bill Riley, asked for the approval of the Council to allow him the authority to notify Dekalb County and give notice that in 30 days (as required) the City of Brookhaven would take on the services of Planning and Zoning and Public Works. This discussion was met with a motion to table the issue from District 2 Councilman, Jim Eyre, followed by a second by District 4 Councilman, Joe Gebbia. 

District 3 Councilman, Bates Mattison, questioned as to why Eyre would motion for the item to be tabled stating that, "Since this is critical to our operational process, if we table this, we are in essence tabling this to a later date preventing us from taking over operations on the 17th [Jan] and I would just like to understand why".

Councilman Eyre responded by stating, "Not necessarily. I'm not comfortable approving this...as we don't have public works in place, we don't have community development in place, so our two vendors that are critical to those operations have not yet been approved by Council. I just want to make sure we have everything in place before we cut ourselves off". Logical to assume that we should not alert the County that we are going to cease doing business with them on January 17th and take over these services BEFORE we even know if we will be ready. Some discussion was offered by Riley who suggested for the purposes of clarification that a 5 minute recess be taken. 

The discussion of Agenda Item 12 can be viewed here http://youtu.be/IV5mT4hXGGA?t=6m45s. The discussion in the video runs from time mark 6:45 to mark 15:42.  Mayor Davis made a suggestion to continue with the agenda and skip Action Item 12 until a recess is had. The motion to skip was offered and the Council continued.

At time mark 25:05, http://youtu.be/IV5mT4hXGGA?t=25m2s, Mayor Davis called the council to return to Agenda Item 11 [actually 12 which was later corrected for the record] where he then called for the recess to commence. And so it did.

Councilmen Eyre and Gebbia joined Riley in a room down the hall (doors closed to the public) and discussed the matter.

After the recess ended the Council reconvened. At time mark 25:58, http://youtu.be/IV5mT4hXGGA?t=25m58s, Mayor Davis called the meeting back to order and the Council revisited Action Item 12.
 
Apparently, the "off-line" discussion was compelling...resulting in Eyre retracting his motion to table the item. The item was offered up again for approval...and passed - Eyre did oppose however, giving Riley the authority to give the County 30 days notice to take over Planning and Zoning and Public Works. The meeting was then adjourned.

SO WHATS THE POINT OF ANALYZING THIS? It is now clear that the first services the city will likely offer will be Planning / Zoning and Public Works.

It's official. Brookhaven is now in business.
A crowd of 35+ citizens joined the Mayor and City Council to "ring-in" the first official day in history.

“Welcome to the city of Brookhaven,” stated Mayor J. Max Davis. "It's been a long 2 years."

The festivities included The Cross Keys Color Guard who presented the colors and the national anthem was delivered to perfection by a former Cross Keys student, Gais Chowdhury.

The Brookhaven City Council will hold meetings late Sunday night. Council members are scheduled to meet at 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16 at St. Martin’s Episcopal School, 3110-A Ashford Dunwoody Road.

Some special events will include Cross Keys Color Guard presentation, some light hors d'oeuvres and a convocation.

After the stroke of midnight, Brookhaven will officially be open for business and the City Council will hold a short meeting to officiate the opening. Several have questioned if District 3 Councilman Bates Mattison will show up for any of these events. Mattison has not attended any City Council Meeting as of yet and has left District 3 wondering why they elected a "no-show city councilman". Mayor J. Max Davis stated earlier in the week that Mattison has been on a family vacation in the Carribean. 

At approximately 2 P.M. there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony held at the temporary Brookhaven City Hall located in Dunwoody at Ashford Center North 200 office building. 

DeKalb House Delegation Town Hall Meetings (12.13.12)Updated Today
From Dar'shun Kendrick

December 13th at 6:30 PM

Attendance

1. Rep. Tom Taylor
2. Rep. Mike Jacobs
3. Rep. Dar'shun Kendrick
4. Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver
5. Rep. Scott Holcomb
6. Rep. Michele Henson

Rep. Holcomb called the town hall meeting to order at 6:44 PM.

Rep. Scott Holcomb

• Advised that this session is more to hear from constituents as opposed to speaking about what we will do
• He spoke about his trip to Beijing and reiterated the need for expansion of the Savannah Port and to close the [education] skills gap.

Rep. Mike Jacobs

• Updated that the city of Brookhaven was starting at a city next Monday
• Also stated that he chairs the MARTOC committee and that 2012 legislation that failed on the last day would be coming back as well as taking a look at privitizing transit service and payroll (KNG report)
• Advised that the state budget is tight; thinks there will be a gift ban for lobbyist this legislative session.
• Recognized newly sworn in Jim Ire, Councilman from Brookhaven

Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver

• Stated that she has ways for people to get in touch with her like Facebook, Twitter and enewsletter
• Updated that she went to Forsyth to do final vote on Criminal Justice reform
• She has prefiled 2 bills > Post adoption bill [HB 21] and on municipalization (requirement of stronger economic analysis) [HB 22]
• She is worried about healthcare budget issues that are controversial (Obamacare, bed tax, etc.)

Rep. Tom Taylor

• Stated that he thought the state budget would be the debate
• Also stated that he would be co-sponsoring to regulate the "pill mils" and a "2nd call" requirement for alarms to conserve police resources

Rep. Michele Henson

• Not sponsoring any legislation at the moment but she advised that she is sure that would change