Woodstock City Council Meeting April 13, 2026: Agenda Packet Reveals Financial Details, Police and Fire Department Updates

WOODSTOCK, Ga. - The full agenda packet for the Woodstock City Council's April 13, 2026, meeting contains additional details on the city's financial position, police and fire department operations, and the status of ongoing capital projects that were not included in the initial meeting preview.

As Woodstock Community News previously reported, the council will take up a range of items at its April 13 session at The Chambers at City Center, 8534 Main Street, including appointment of a new city attorney, a residential solid waste contract, zoning text amendments, and several consent agenda items.

CITY FINANCES: INVESTMENT EARNINGS TOP $1.58 MILLION YEAR-TO-DATE

The agenda packet includes the Monthly Finance Report for March 1-31, 2026, submitted by Chief Financial Officer Ronald C. Shelby. According to the report, the city earned $199,115.30 in combined investment interest during March, bringing the fiscal year-to-date total across all accounts to $1,582,425.42 through the end of March.

As of March 31, 2026, the city held $16,180,955.77 on deposit in Georgia Fund 1, which paid an annualized yield of 3.68381% during March - down slightly from 3.759% the prior month. The General Fund balance in Georgia Fund 1 stood at $12,138,545.97, while the Water and Sewer Fund held $4,042,409.80.

The city's Money Market accounts at Ameris Bank totaled $52,558,420.48 as of March 31, 2026, earning interest at an annualized yield of 3.21%. Those accounts include the Pool-MMKT, the 2024 Parks Bond account, a Parks Bond Arbitrage account, a 2025 Fire Station account, SPLOST V, and SPLOST VII funds. The city currently holds no certificates of deposit and no securities in its investment portfolio.

The report also notes that a recent arbitrage calculation on the city's bond earnings resulted in an IRS liability of $290,775.92. That amount is not due until April 10, 2029 - five years after bond issuance - and has been segregated into a separate Money Market account where it continues to earn interest.

FIRE DEPARTMENT: NEW STATION NEARING COMPLETION, TREADMILL PURCHASED

The fire department's report included in the packet indicates that the new fire station apparatus is almost complete and is in the final stage of being outfitted with equipment. The department also reports that the VVFD Foundation has purchased a Treadmill for Station 1, and that the department continues to work through the state's NERIS transition for its reporting system.

The fire department reports it currently has 11 new applicants going through the new-hire testing process. The department also met with the Budget Committee for its first budget review.

On the community outreach side, the fire department's Community Risk Reduction Division reports it reached 1,516 citizens during the most recent reporting month. Outreach activities included car seat inspections and installations, smoke alarm installations, fire safety classes, and fire drills. The department installed smoke alarms for residents and donated smoke alarms as well. The Glen's Smoke Alarm Blitz ran for 100 days. Educational programs reached children through a WEE School Touch-a-Truck event, and adults through The Gathering Fire Safety Class and Mason Main OA Fire Safety program.

The fire department's monthly training report for March shows a total of 1,478 departmental training hours logged year-to-date in 2026, including 720 hours of interdepartmental training and 603 hours of outsourced training. The department also logged 202.3 canine training hours year-to-date.

POLICE DEPARTMENT: FEBRUARY OPERATIONS ACROSS ALL WATCHES

The agenda packet includes detailed February 2026 operational reports for each of the Woodstock Police Department's patrol watches - Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta - as well as reports from specialized units.

The Alpha Watch reported 111 incident numbers issued in February, with 77 traffic citations, 34 written warnings, and 168 verbal warnings. Alpha's K9 officer logged 37 calls for service, 8 arrests, 6 citations, 11 K9 searches, and 3 call-outs during the month.

The Bravo Watch issued 86 incident numbers in February, down 16% from the previous period, along with 45 traffic citations and 15 written warnings. Bravo noted that Sgt. Thorpe returned from FMLA, that Ofc. Goodwin was assigned to the shift, and that Ofc. Marotta was released from Bravo and is now an independent K9 officer.

The Charlie Watch issued 97 incident numbers in February, up 5% from the prior period, with 9 traffic citations and 77 written warnings. Charlie reported 75 incident reports, 13 accident reports, 46 arrests, and 1,870 dispatch runs during the month. A notable event listed in the Charlie report states that Ofc. Fields was involved in a motor vehicle crash while responding to back up another officer involved in a fight with a suspect.

The Delta Watch issued 76 incident numbers in February, up 28% from the prior period, with 36 traffic citations and 25 written warnings. Delta's notable events include an arrest by Ofc. Montenegro of a man wanted out of Canton who was possibly going to harm his wife, and an arrest by Cpl. Buckner of a Los Surenos gang member.

Citywide, the police department reported 33 injury accidents in February, up significantly from 12 the prior month, and 80 non-injury accidents. There were 12 hit-and-run accidents citywide. DUI arrests on the State of Georgia highway (SOG) totaled 11 in February. The department made 8 arrests on the SOG in February.

The department's HEAT and Traffic unit reported 9 DUI arrests, 19 DUI contacts, 44 speeding citations, and 174 traffic stops in February, along with 2 community events.

The Criminal Investigations Division reported 21 active cases, 1 call-out, 2 interviews, 1 search warrant, and 6 arrests or arrest warrants in February. The Canine Unit reported 9 deployments, 3 arrests, and 4 people found during the month.

The department's Training Division, commanded by Sgt. Dennis Hornes, reported 797 total departmental training hours in February, including 479 hours of interdepartmental training and 227 hours of outsourced training. Three recruits were in field training as of the reporting period. The department had 5 open positions as of the report date.

The accreditation and compliance report shows 12 CALEA files completed in February, with 223 policy signatures obtained. Records staff processed 23 open records requests in February, and the terminal agency coordinator handled 19 wanted persons entries, 9 background requests, and 11 fingerprints during the month.

RESIDENTS ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND

The April 13, 2026, City Council meeting begins at 3:00 p.m. at The Chambers at City Center, 8534 Main Street, Woodstock. Residents wishing to address the council may do so during the public comment period. For more information, visit woodstockga.gov or call 770-592-6000.