Trash Hauler, Zoning Rules and Employee Pay Among Key Decisions Facing Woodstock City Council March 23

The Woodstock City Council will convene for a regular session Monday, March 23, 2026, at 7 p.m. in The Chambers at City Center, 8534 Main Street. The agenda is among the more consequential of the year, touching decisions that will land on every resident's doorstep, literally and figuratively, from who picks up the weekly trash to how development unfolds along the city's walkable Main Street corridor.

The most closely watched item of the evening is the award of RFP 2026-09 for Residential Solid Waste Collection and Recycling Services. Seven companies submitted bids, and council narrowed the field to two finalists at its March 16 work session: Waste Management, the nation's largest residential hauler, and Red Oak Sanitation, a regional competitor. Council directed staff to bring both options back for a binding vote Monday. A finalized contract will return to council at a future meeting before taking effect, but Monday's vote will determine which company earns the work. The decision will directly affect every household in Woodstock that relies on city-managed curbside pickup, making it one of the more tangible choices the council makes all year.

Two significant updates to the city's Land Development Ordinance are also on the table. The first, ZTA#022-26, would allow the Development Process Committee, a staff-level body that handles routine permitting decisions, to approve fences located within zoning buffers administratively, bypassing the full variance process. Supporters say the change streamlines what is typically a routine approval; others may argue it nudges decision-making authority away from elected officials and the public hearings that come with it. The second amendment, ZTA#021-26, would update use standards and density allowances for the General Commercial Village Mixed-Use zoning district, which governs much of the walkable, mixed-use development along and near Main Street. As Woodstock's downtown core has grown into one of Cherokee County's most active corridors for dining, retail and residential infill, the rules shaping what gets built there carry real weight.

Three Robin Court-area cases are scheduled as public hearings, and two of them are heading back to the Planning Commission before council takes final action. CUP#093-25 at 706 Robin Court and V#220-25 at 704 Robin Court are both being recommended for remand after updated site designs introduced new entitlement questions for a proposed single-family residential development. The third case, V#219-25 at 702 Ravenwood Drive, asks council to approve a variance allowing encroachment and limited disturbance within a 75-foot impervious stream setback and a 50-foot undisturbed stream buffer, subject to staff-recommended conditions. Stream buffer variances are among the more scrutinized land-use requests in Cherokee County, where stormwater management and watershed protection have become recurring concerns as development has accelerated across the region. Neighbors along that corridor may want to attend or submit written comment before the meeting.

Several items on the consent agenda, typically approved in a single block vote unless a council member pulls one for separate discussion, carry meaningful implications for city employees and infrastructure. Council will consider a merit pay increase for eligible city employees, effective the first full pay period in April, recognizing performance during the 2025 calendar year. A related budget amendment, MAJBA JE 20927, would authorize the funding. A separate amendment, MAJBA JE 20884, would cover additional overtime costs in the Public Works Street Division through the end of the fiscal year.

Also on the consent agenda: an intergovernmental agreement with Cherokee County for a Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant resurfacing project, which would bring road repaving work into Woodstock as part of the county's Phase I program. LMIG funding, administered through the Georgia Department of Transportation, is a common mechanism local governments use to stretch road maintenance dollars, and Cherokee County has used it regularly to address aging pavement across the region. Another budget amendment, MAJBA JE 20921, would fund construction of the Goshen Lane Extension under a developer's agreement council approved March 9, with the city reimbursing the developer per the terms of that deal.

Council will also be asked to approve a work authorization for engineering firm Arcadis to provide construction review and request-for-information services on the Neese North project through July 31, 2026, at a cost not to exceed $10,000. A separate item would amend a sewer easement with SSP Woodstock, LLC, the owner of the Woodstock Mill shopping center site, to reflect a modification to the easement area following a sewer line relocation council approved in October 2025.

Under new business, council will consider proposed revisions to Section 000-0002 of the Council Policy Manual, the Civility Code that governs conduct at council meetings and in official city business. A redlined version of the proposed changes is included in the agenda packet. Council will also vote on whether to waive the public input meeting requirement for a street frontage variance sought by Paragon Accounting at 9026 Main Street; staff recommends the waiver, citing the city's interest in maintaining right-of-way design continuity along Main Street.

The evening opens on a celebratory note. Police Chief Brian Aligood will deliver a CALEA and State Reaccreditation presentation recognizing the Woodstock Police Department's compliance with national and state law enforcement accreditation standards, a rigorous process that signals professional accountability and is pursued by a relatively small share of agencies nationwide. Parks and Recreation staff will follow with announcements about two upcoming community programs: a TrailStory literary walk through the Park at City Center in April featuring "The Day the Crayons Quit," and a Therapeutic Recreation Walk/Roll/Run Club for adults with disabilities, meeting Wednesdays at Dupree Park.

The meeting is open to the public. Hearing assistance is available upon request. Residents wishing to address the council during the public comment period should plan to arrive before 7 p.m. The full agenda and supporting documents are available at woodstockga.granicus.com.