Setting a budget and establishing an efficient police force will be top priorities for Jim Eyre, Brookhaven city councilman for District 2, when he takes office in December.

Eyre is the new city’s first elected official as the races for mayor and the remaining council positions will head to a runoff Dec. 4. The councilman garnered 54.6 percent of votes in the Nov. 6 special election.

Since then he has been getting up to speed with the information the Governor’s Commission on the city of Brookhaven has compiled in advance of the city’s official start.

“I think the effort was almost Herculean in the amount of work they did and stellar in the product that they’ve turned out,” Eyre said.

Still, the councilman said he has concerns about the promises made when Brookhaven was chartered. Eyre was initially against cityhood because he thought some of the information being presented at that time was flawed and the process moved forward too quickly.

Eyre, a resident of the Ashford Park neighborhood in District 2 for 11 years and a DeKalb County resident for 25 years, ran for the council position because he has been active in the community and feels he understands fellow residents’ needs and desires. Traffic along Dresden Drive and the size of the police force are key issues in District 2, he added.

Citywide, he said Brookhaven’s budget is a major concern.

“My first priority is getting a budget set that has realistic revenue projections, has spending priorities based on what we need to be spending our money on and not promises made, and most important, a budget that recognizes that we need to establish a reserve account to get us through the lean times,” he said.

Eyre added he will be fair, honest, straightforward and accessible and will advocate for what is best for Brookhaven and hopes his fellow councilmembers to be elected will do the same.

What's next?:
Early voting for the runoff elections will be held Monday through Nov. 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Office, 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300, in Decatur. The elections office is accepting absentee ballots until Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. All other voters must vote at their assigned precincts on Dec. 4.