Brookhaven is revising its street light policy to make fees more equitable across the city. A flat fee will be established in 2025, anticipated to cost $35 per parcel.
The current policy “disproportionately places the financial responsibility for equipment and ongoing operation of each street light district on a small number of local residents,” according to a memo.
Deputy City Manager Steve Chapman proposed that the city combine more than 100 street light districts into one zone, billing residents equally. The city council approved the ordinance in November.
“As part of the budget, we contemplated and proposed creating a uniform street light district across the city, as opposed to the 100-plus individual street light districts that we currently have, with a range of costs between them,” said Chapman.
All residents and visitors benefit from the city’s street lights, said Brookhaven Communications Director Burke Brennan.
Streetlight districts were inherited from DeKalb County when Brookhaven became a city in 2012. The districts define an area by which the municipality charges residents for public lighting.
Street lights on private streets are handled by Georgia Power, not the city. Residents can initiate a request for streetlights installation by contacting the Brookhaven Public Works Department.
Because of the outdated structure of billing by district, 40% of Brookhaven residents were never charged for street lights. The city estimates that after the change, 85% of people will see a decrease in the fee.
In 2023, streetlight service and maintenance fees were billed through the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s office, and ranged between $0.40 and $3.96 per streetlight district, per foot, per year. In 2024, Brookhaven City Council approved an increase in the range of fees for the streetlight districts to $0.60 to $5.94 per foot, per year.
Georgia Power is upgrading 2,000 area lights, 130 pendant lights, 505 post top lights, and 35 flood lights throughout Brookhaven with LED lights, which last 10-15 years. LED lights are more reliable, create less waste, consume low energy and improve roadway visibility, according to the city.