Brookhaven has released its first budget booklet, a 24-page guide to the city’s proposed 2027 spending, ahead of a public hearing Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The proposed General Fund budget totals $45.6 million, up 6.7% from the adopted 2026 budget, according to the city’s announcement. It would maintain the current operating property tax rate of 3.85 mills.
Residents can comment at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at City Centre, 4001 Peachtree Road NE. A second hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17, with the council expected to consider adoption afterward.
The new “2027 Proposed Budget in Brief” is intended to make the proposal easier to understand. Burke Brennan, the city’s communications director, told Rough Draft Atlanta that the full budget runs roughly 350 pages.
City staff produced the booklet with input from finance staff and department directors. Brennan put the initial cost at about $800, with additional expenses expected as the document is updated after adoption.
Personnel accounts for about 60% of the proposed General Fund budget. The booklet lists 217 full-time and approximately 23 part-time employees. General Fund police spending would total about $17.8 million, according to the city’s financial summaries.
Although the booklet describes a budget without new or expanded programs, department plans include longer drone-response operating hours and two additional full-time contract positions in public works.
Capital projects listed include extensions of the Peachtree Creek Greenway, continued design and engineering for a pedestrian bridge over Interstate 85, and the Ashford Dunwoody Road/Windsor Parkway roundabout.
The proposed tax rate would hold steady following June’s increase from 2.74 to 3.85 mills. That adopted rate was 1.233 mills above the rollback rate, which accounts for changes in taxable property values.
Printed copies of the booklet are available free at city facilities. Residents can review the booklet and full proposal on the city’s budget page and submit comments to [email protected].
