District 4 Town Hall Meeting | October 28, 2026

The City of Brookhaven District 4 quarterly town hall was held October 28, 2026, and covered development, transportation projects, the proposed FY2027 budget, and neighborhood concerns. City Manager Kristen Sigman presented a proposed $45 million operating budget, with the tax rate unchanged and a 6.7% increase from the prior year. The budget supports 217 full-time positions, including 99 police officers; cited cost drivers included employee health care, public safety dispatch services, compensation, and contracted public works. The proposal is under council review, with public hearings scheduled for November 3 and 17. No contract award or purchasing vote was reported. The Southern Connector Bridge has no new FY2027 funding: prior funds cover design and engineering, while construction and right-of-way acquisition remain unfunded.

Infrastructure updates included the GDOT Buford Highway streetscape and pedestrian-safety project, where work is expected to resume November 9 and finish in early spring 2027; GDOT is renegotiating costs with the contractor and has extended working hours. The city also discussed an approximately $17 million pedestrian bridge funded by Emory, an $8 million developer contribution for a greenway (with $6.2 million transferred to the Brookhaven Development Authority and the remainder tied to later project milestones), and a DeKalb County sidewalk project for which the city committed about $30,000. Other development updates concerned privately led mixed-use projects. For the Southern Connector Bridge, the city is still evaluating alternatives and plans further public engagement and a neighborhood traffic-calming study; no final design decision was made.