FAQs
Why is my property in a proposed annexation area, but I did not sign a petition or I oppose annexation?
State law requires signed petitions representing at least 60% of the owners of the land area and at least 60% of the registered voters in an annexation application area. While 100% is ideal, it is not required in the state prescribed process, and not practical as the service delivery area would be inefficient.
The City of Brookhaven has asked DeKalb County to place a referendum on the fall 2023 ballot to allow every registered voter in the proposed annexation area to participate in the decision process.
Do I need a Georgia Contractor’s license to obtain a building permit?
Generally, yes. The City enforces Georgia state contractor licensing laws. Contractors must provide their state licenses to pull permits. There are exceptions, such as when a homeowner performs work on their own home and provides a notarized Homeowner Affidavit, or for limited specialty trades.
How will the planned Murphey Candler Park community green be used?
The green is intended for use by small groups such as home schoolers, neighborhood groups, family gatherings, and birthday parties that could even begin with playground play, then a puppet show on the community green and a birthday cake in a decorated pavilion! The green will be open to reservations upon approval through the Brookhaven Parks system.
What communications were made with County officials prior to the application?
Mayor John Ernst contacted DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond on multiple occasions prior submission of the annexation application.
The DeKalb County CEO’s comments of never being contacted at the June 27, 2023 community meeting are not accurate. Additionally, the City’s support of community annexation efforts has been widely reported in the media. County Commission offices were also contacted prior to the submission of the annexation application.
DeKalb cities have attempted to engage DeKalb County for years on the municipalization of the entire County to avoid the creation of new cities and encroachment from the City of Atlanta. These efforts were never taken seriously with the County’s response to “study” and conclude it would cost the County millions in tax revenue. Governments “lose” revenue in economic downturns and work it out through service reductions, and or tax rate increase. In the case of annexation, services are transferred to the City of Brookhaven and provided at the lower cost…resulting in a tax break to residents and business.
Since 2000, there have been over 100 annexations in DeKalb County.
What if the GPS malfunctions when I have a Brookhaven Connect service request?
GPS units in phones can vary in their speed and accuracy. Generally newer phones have no problem locking in to a GPS signal. However GPS is usually best when you have line of sight to a sky. Therefore, you may have problems with GPS when inside buildings with certain devices. However, the app supports offline reporting and manually entering your location. Therefore, a poor GPS signal will not prevent you from submitting a report.
Where are the video and photos taken by the UAS stored?
All video and photo evidence taken during any UAS mission is stored in the same manner and location as Body Camera video, in-car video, and other investigative digital evidence. BPD utilizes a private “cloud” service, Evidence.com, to store all digital evidence. The service is authorized and certified under both state and federal regulations for the security and protection of confidential information and is available only for official law enforcement purposes.
Data collected by the UAS is securely stored in accordance with state records retention laws. Video recordings not containing evidence in any criminal case are not retained past 30 days. The retention of video containing an arrest or data pertinent to a criminal investigation will be five years.
For more FAQs related to UAS, please visit the Federal Aviation Administration’s FAQ page ( https://www.faa.gov/uas/faqs/ .)
Does Brookhaven Connect use either SMS or MMS to transfer information?
No, the app only uses the data service provided by mobile carrier. The data sent per report is, on average, much less than your average web page.
What does the Park Bond Oversight Committee do?
The Park Bond Oversight Committee is charged with providing oversight to the implementation of Park Bond approved projects. The Park Bond Citizen Oversight Committee is not charged with garnering public input as the park master plans and subsequent Park Bond projects have already been through the public input process. The committee is to ensure the implementation is true to the master plans. Residents can contact the City via the website here: www.BrookhavenGA.gov/Contact
What will my permit cost?
Permit fees, including minimum fees and review fees, are listed in the City’s Fee Schedule. Valuation is calculated using the most recent version of the ICC Data Valuation table.
Who has access to the video and photos?
Video and photos collected by UAS are stored for the purposes of conducting police investigations and subsequent prosecutions. Accordingly, videos and photos are generally accessible to police investigators for official use only. Like all police records, video and photos may also be subject to additional release under the same rules and restrictions as body camera video and other items of evidence.
Generally, UAS photos and videos are considered part of the investigative record and are not available to the public under the Georgia Open Records Act or Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) until the case has been fully adjudicated.
For more FAQs related to UAS, please visit the Federal Aviation Administration’s FAQ page ( https://www.faa.gov/uas/faqs/ .)
Why are apartment complexes typically not included in annexation applications?
Georgia law requires at least 60% of registered voters in an annexation application. Unfortunately, due to DeKalb County’s outdated voter lists, apartment complexes have many times the number of voters than actual units. When residents relocate, especially out of the area, they typically do not proactively notify the Board of Elections. As such, it is not uncommon for a single address within an apartment complex to have multiple “registered voters” that do not actually reside at the address.
The City of Brookhaven has asked DeKalb County to place a referendum on the fall 2023 ballot to allow every registered voter to participate in the decision process.
How is my Brookhaven Connect contact information stored?
The mobile app prompts a user to provide First Name, Last Name, and Email Address. A user only has to provide this information once and it is then stored within the app. Users may still submit reports anonymously by selecting this option in the Settings menu. Go to the 'More' Tab, select the 'Settings' menu, and check the box marked 'Report Anonymously'. Any information, such as personal information or location is only used for reporting purposes. CitySourced states that they will never sell your information for commercial purposes.
How is my privacy protected?
The use of the UAS carries a considerable concern for the privacy rights of individuals. Absent a warrant or emergency circumstance operators do not intentionally record or transmit images of any location where a person would have a reasonable expectation of privacy, including but not limited to the curtilage of a residence or inside of a residential property.
For more FAQs related to UAS, please visit the Federal Aviation Administration’s FAQ page ( https://www.faa.gov/uas/faqs/ .)
What inspections are required?
The inspections required vary by type of permit and scope of work. Rough and framing and final building inspections are combination inspections, meaning all the trades are inspected at the same time as the building and must be ready concurrently. New construction, including additions, decks, and accessory structures, and demolitions, requires initial and final site inspections by the land development inspector. Commercial construction requires inspections by the City Fire Marshal. Information is provided when permits are issued.
Will annexing into Brookhaven improve the EMS response times?
No. DeKalb County has exclusive control of emergency medical services (EMS) response. Brookhaven has sought for several years the authority to provide this essential service directly. The County has blocked these efforts. Brookhaven tracks the performance of DeKalb County’s EMS response quarterly Please see the graphic below.
In summary, only 52% of the time DeKalb County EMS response is 12 minutes or less.
NOTE: DeKalb County does not provide any EMS response performance data on its website or in any communications to its residents.
Can foreign countries gain access to BPD’s drone data or information through a drone’s built-in software?
No. Our drone data does not utilize the onboard software from the drone manufacturer. We use an encrypted, US-based software program to bypass the drone manufacturer’s systems. Our data is encrypted and is stored on US-based servers that meet federal requirements for confidential law enforcement databases.
For more FAQs related to UAS, please visit the Federal Aviation Administration’s FAQ page ( https://www.faa.gov/uas/faqs/ .)
Can I enter a Brookhaven Connect service request/report anonymously?
Yes, however, providing contact information is encouraged to allow for quicker follow-up and resolution to the submitted issue. To report anonymously, in the mobile app go to the 'More' Tab and select the 'Settings' Option. In the 'Settings' window, make sure that the "Send Reports Anonymously" checkbox is checked.
How do I request an inspection?
All inspection requests must be submitted through the Project Portal. Requests received before 4 p.m. can be performed the following business day. To cancel an inspection, call 404-637-0500.
Will annexing into Brookhaven improve police response times?
Yes. Brookhaven’s goal is police response to priority 1 calls within 6 minutes 80% of the time.
The City’s standard is arrival within 6 minutes on at least 80% of all priority 1 calls. DeKalb County does not provide any police response performance data on its website or in any communication to its residents.
NOTE: DeKalb County has over 100 police officer vacancies; Brookhaven has no vacancies.
Are there re-inspection fees for failed inspections?
If the inspection is not passed after the first re-inspection, re-inspection fees must be paid before the next inspection can be scheduled.
Does Brookhaven Connect track my location?
Whenever you open and interact with the Brookhaven Connect CitySourced app on your mobile device, the location information from your mobile device is used to tailor the experience to your current location. This information is NOT published or shared with others. The app saves that specific location information until the next time you do something in the app, at which time the old location information is deleted from your mobile device and replaced with your most recent location information. Your location data is only shared when you decide to proactively report an issue.
How do I ask a question about UAS use in Brookhaven?
Anyone may email the UAS Team directly at pduas@brookhavenga.gov.
For more FAQs related to UAS, please visit the Federal Aviation Administration’s FAQ page ( https://www.faa.gov/uas/faqs/ .)
Will annexing into Brookhaven improve the condition of the roads?
Yes. Brookhaven’s pavement condition index (PCI) is 64 out of a 100-point scale.
DeKalb County does not include road condition information on its website or to its residents.
Based on a limited laser scan of the streets in the annexation area in unincorporated DeKalb County, the County PCI is 53, representing a Poor rating. For reference, when Lavista Park annexed into Brookhaven from unincorporated DeKalb County in 2019, the PCI was 50 (a rating of Poor) in the annexation area. Since then, the City of Brookhaven has improved the LaVista Park roads to a PCI of 60 in 2023.
Can I hire my own third-party inspector?
No, the City of Brookhaven does not permit third-party inspections. As it is the City’s policy to perform next-day inspections, there is no scheduling or economic advantage to using outside parties for inspections.
Will annexing in Brookhaven reduce the number of metal plates in the roadway?
Yes and No.
A vast majority of the metal plates are related to repairs to the water and sanitary systems. These repairs are performed by Dekalb County Watershed Management (DWM). Brookhaven actively tracks metal plates in the roadway and coordinates with DWM by creating service requests and monitoring DWM work orders. The City also engages County officials on behalf of its residents to hold DWM accountable. By doing so the length of time the metal plates are in place has reduced.