Brookhaven named Visionary City by Georgia Municipal Association
Brookhaven, GA, Jan. 25, 2020 – On Jan. 25, during the Georgia Municipal Association’s (GMA) virtual Cities United Summit, the City of Brookhaven was honored with the large Visionary City Award by GMA and Georgia Trend magazine.
Brookhaven was recognized for addressing one of its early challenges of engaging the Buford Highway corridor. With a poverty rate north of 13%, and 30%+ of households reporting a language other than English spoken at home, this underserved area had little positive experience with government. Brookhaven was able to increase outreach and accessibility for Spanish-speaking residents by partnering with local Latino community groups and provided City information in Spanish, including City forms and social media posts. The Brookhaven Police Department developed a Spanish-language Citizen Police Academy that has produced 80 graduates since 2016.
“It’s certainly an honor to be recognized by an organization of peers for the important work we are doing to ensure government is responsive to the needs of all of its residents,” said Mayor John Ernst. “Language and culture barriers are huge obstacles to overcome, and we have a long way to go. However, we are making steady progress.”
Some of the accomplishments that Brookhaven achieved toward the goal included:
- The Brookhaven Spanish-language Citizens Police Academy
- The outreach prior to and during the construction of the Peachtree Creek Greenway, a multiuse path which provides a safe pedestrian route towards job centers.
- Brookhaven’s formation of the Affordable Housing Task Force which led to the adoption of the first Citywide affordable housing ordinance in the State.
- A Latino outreach position was added to create Spanish translation of City reports and social media channels.
- Brookhaven acquired a vacant gas station on Buford Highway and partnered with DeKalb County to provide an ambulance staging area.
- Brookhaven integrated Chamblee and Doraville transportation plans and joined in submitting an important proposal for high-speed bus transit along the corridor to ATL Link.
- When COVID-19 hit, well-established partnerships supported distribution of food, masks, and free testing for this high-risk population.
- Brookhaven also facilitated the immediate injection of $4 million in CARES Act monies to provide hunger relief, eviction protection, healthcare, and local business stabilization within 3 weeks of receipt of funds.
Brookhaven was one of two other large city award winners. Three cities each earned the award in three categories: Small (population under 4,999), medium (5,000 to 24,999) and large (25,000 and over). Each city in each size classification was recognized for actions and initiatives taken that increased civic engagement, created community partnerships and made people proud to call their city home.
“If ever there was a time for unity and togetherness, it is now, and these nine cities have illustrated this unity through their visionary projects,” said GMA Executive Director Larry Hanson. “It’s our privilege to honor the elected officials, city staff and community leaders who made these initiatives possible. These cities exemplify what it means to be forward-thinking for their residents and generations to come. They serve as inspiring examples of civility, collaboration and what it means to create communities of positive change across Georgia.”
###
About the Georgia Municipal Association: Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, educational, employee benefit and consulting services to all of Georgia’s 538 cities. GMA anticipates and influences the forces shaping Georgia’s cities and to provide leadership, tools and services that assist municipal governments in becoming more innovative, effective and responsive. Created in 1933, the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) is the only state organization that represents municipal governments in Georgia. For more information, visit www.gacities.com.
