Proponents of the Brookhaven community attaining city status are seeking to turn up the volume on their efforts.

BrookhavenYES, an advocacy group bent on the passage of legislation that would ultimately turn the final decision on cityhood over to residents, held their first official meeting last week at Oglethorpe University.

“We’re not here to bash DeKalb County,” said group president J. Max Davis. “If we didn’t like it, we would’ve moved. I love DeKalb. We just want a portion of it under local control, like Dunwoody, Doraville, Chamblee.”

Concerned citizens were introduced to the group’s provisional officers — 10 board members in all — and principal elements of the cityhood proposal.

“It’s not like a town hall,” said Davis. “It’s for the folks who are supporting the plan … to get volunteers to join our efforts, whether fundraising, grassroots efforts or simply [spreading awareness].”

In addition to lower taxes, efficient services is another reason Davis said he is opting for new local government, citing the “way too slow” process of obtaining a building permit he experienced after his house burned down March as an example.

Residents will get the opportunity to vote on incorporation in the summer, provided House Bill 636, the proposed charter for Brookhaven, passes in the General Assembly.

The road to that possible destination is set to begin this week, with the first legislative hearing on the matter. The findings of a feasibility study conducted by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute – including a projected $3.4 million budget surplus for an incorporated Brookhaven — were scheduled to be presented, said District. 80 State Rep. Mike Jacobs, R-Atlanta.

“It is going to be a slow, deliberative process,” said Jacobs, adding that the state House of Representatives would host two to three hearings in all, with the second hearing to feature public testimony.

Should the proposal clear the Georgia General Assembly, residents will have the final say about Brookhaven by taking to the ballot box on July 31.

As for the prospective city itself, Jacobs recently announced that the Peachtree DeKalb Airport would no longer fall within Brookhaven’s boundaries.

“The airport was excluded as an accommodation to our neighbors in the city of Chamblee,” Jacobs said. “As [initially] proposed, the city of Brookhaven almost completely enclosed the boundaries of the Chamblee.

“Now, Chamblee has room to grow and is not completely enclosed.”