BROOKHAVEN — Lincoln County Board Attorney Greg Malta shared an update on the City’s plans to vacate the Lincoln County Courthouse Tuesday morning. His update was presented to the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors in a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday. 

Malta passed around copies of a letter from Brookhaven Board Attorney Bobby Moak. He explained there was no new information contained in the letter but it was a formal notification the city will vacate the courthouse no later than 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025.

“We have already been told and operated under what they told us,” Malta said. “They have firmly committed to it in writing.”

The City voted to enter a lease agreement for a new city hall at 101 W. Chickasaw Street in May 2024. Brookhaven businessman Johnny Lynch owns the property and is renovating the former Hartman-Harrigill Funeral Home to become a city hall with a vision of having a new park there as well. 

The City of Brookhaven and Lincoln County reached an agreement for a buyout of the Lincoln County courthouse in July 2024. An interlocal agreement from 1980 required the County to buy the City’s 20 percent stake in the courthouse if they left for a new City Hall. Lincoln County agreed to pay $2.745 million to the City for their 20 percent stake in the courthouse. 

Lincoln County Administrator Daniel Calcote and Lincoln County Engineer Ryan Holmes have discussed future plans for renovations to the courthouse once the City leaves. 

“We are in preliminary stages, gathering data and planning to keep our foot on the gas there,” Holmes said. “They will be coming back, going through each department, getting ideas on how to improve workflow, interviewing staff, identifying any inefficiencies. There is a lot of square footage and it could be more efficient.”