Woodstock's IT Department Is Upgrading Traffic Cameras, Shoring Up Cybersecurity and Hiring, Here's What's in the March 23 Agenda Packet

This story has been updated with additional details drawn from the full agenda packet released ahead of Monday's Woodstock City Council meeting.

As Woodstock Community News previously reported, the council will convene at 7 p.m. Monday, March 23, 2026, in The Chambers at City Center, 8534 Main Street, for a regular session that includes a binding vote on the city's residential solid waste contract, several zoning text amendments, Robin Court development cases and proposed revisions to the council's civility code.

The full agenda packet, now available to the public, includes a departmental report from the city's Information Technology Division presented by IT Director Katy Leggett, and for residents who rarely think about what keeps City Hall running, it's a revealing look at the infrastructure behind everyday municipal services.

One of the most time-sensitive items in the report is the city's transition to Windows 11. All remaining city machines are scheduled to be migrated before Microsoft ends support for the current operating system in October 2025. That deadline isn't bureaucratic housekeeping, when Microsoft stops issuing security patches for an operating system, any government network still running it becomes significantly more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Cities across Georgia have faced ransomware incidents in recent years, and Woodstock's push to complete the upgrade reflects a broader awareness among local governments that outdated software carries real risk.

The IT division is also expanding its GridSmart traffic camera network. Phase 3 of that initiative adds cameras and supporting networking equipment at additional intersections across the city. GridSmart systems use video-based detection to monitor traffic flow and adjust signal timing, technology that matters in a city where rapid residential growth along the Hwy. 92 and I-575 corridors has put sustained pressure on local roads.

On the infrastructure data side, city staff conducted field collection of sewer manhole and pipe elevation data in February, work that will feed into updated stormwater and sewer system models. It's unglamorous work, but accurate elevation data is foundational to understanding how the city's underground systems perform during heavy rain events, a recurring concern in Cherokee County, where development-driven impervious surface has increased runoff in many watersheds.

The IT department also completed the city's annual U.S. Census Bureau Boundary and Annexation Survey for 2026, a routine but legally required submission. The survey helps the federal government maintain accurate municipal boundary records, records that affect everything from congressional apportionment to federal funding formulas tied to population counts.

Several resident-facing digital tools are either newly available or in development. A Capital Projects Dashboard, an interactive display tracking new and in-progress Capital Improvement Projects, has been completed and is now live. A separate Major Projects App Refresh, described as a complete revamp of an existing interactive dashboard, is currently on hold. Staff are also building a Tree Dedications Viewer, a tool that would let residents locate trees dedicated in someone's honor through the city's memorial tree program, a small but meaningful addition for families who have participated in that program.

Cybersecurity policy work is also underway, funded through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, known as SLCGP. The federal grant program, administered through FEMA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, is specifically designed to help smaller local governments build formal IT policy frameworks they might otherwise lack the budget to develop. That project is listed as in progress.

To strengthen emergency resilience, the city is adding redundant internet connections at Fire Station 1 and Fire Station 2. Redundant connections ensure that if a primary line goes down, whether from a storm, a cut cable or a service outage, firefighters and dispatchers maintain continuous communications. That project is also listed as in progress.

The packet also reveals that the IT department is actively recruiting for a Systems Administrator. The job posting, included in the report, encourages applicants to visit woodstockga.gov/jobs and describes the role as an opportunity to "manage meaningful tech that supports our community while enjoying the stable rhythm of local government."

Help desk activity data included in the report tracks ticket volume over recent periods, though specific figures were partially obscured in the released document. The report references both onboarding and offboarding workflows as active areas of help desk focus, a reflection, in part, of the staffing activity that tends to accompany a growing city.

Monday's meeting covers considerably more ground than the IT report alone. The council's vote on the residential solid waste contract will determine who collects Woodstock's trash and under what terms, a decision that affects nearly every household in the city. Zoning text amendments and the Robin Court development cases will draw attention from residents in and around that corridor, and the proposed civility code revisions touch on how public discourse at council meetings is governed.

Residents interested in any agenda item are encouraged to attend in person or review the full packet at woodstockga.granicus.com. Public comment will be accepted before the meeting begins at 7 p.m. Hearing assistance is available upon request.