ere in Woodstock, we are building a City that feels like home. We stand as one of the largest cities in Georgia, among the most awarded and fastest growing in the nation, and one of the most visited cities in the southeastern United States. We remain one of the safest cities in our state and a family-focused, walkable community. In three years, we have made the largest investment in our parks and trails, the largest investment in our police officers and firefighters, and the largest investment in our infrastructure in our City’s 127-year history. All while achieving a record-high Aa+ credit rating, increasing our reserves to nearly 50% of our general operating budget, and maintaining some of the lowest property taxes in Georgia. As we focus on building tomorrow’s Woodstock, we will remember the calling of every generation: to leave this incredible City better and stronger for our children than we found it.
Sincerely,
Michael Caldwell
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$78,555,338
ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT
$18,000,000
$16,000,000
$14,000,000
$12,000,000
$10,000,000
$8,000,000
$6,000,000
$4,000,000
$2,000,000
$-
*Total Fund Balance
**Unrestricted Net Position
***Total Net Position
Administrative Services
woodstockga.gov/clerk
Led by Administrative Services Director and City Clerk
ROBYN ADAMS
Office Of The City Clerk Highlights
• Completed recodification of the Code of Ordinances to ensure local laws are current, accessible, and consistent
• Created an Ordinance and Resolution catalog that yields more complete tracking
• Set standardized templates for ordinances, resolutions, proclamations, and oaths of office that create consistency and organization
• Enhanced data storage, number of users, security, and efficiency in the Document Management Systems
• Ensured the city systems are Criminal Justice Information Services compliant to ensure the protection of sensitive criminal justice information
• Worked with the deputy city manager to implement Hiperweb for utility billing and customer service
• Developed a more efficient external portal for citizen requests
• Updated the Open Records Request portal to increase efficiency, security, confidentiality, and data storage
• Developed a property and liability management tracking system
• Implemented departmental cross-training
• Worked with managers on creating and updating Standard Operating Procedures
• 1,000+ pounds of trash and debris halted before entering Lake Allatoona due to the trash containment boom installed in Little River
Water & Sewer
• Produced 110 gallons of treated groundwater
• Supplied 880 million gallons of drinking water
• Reclaimed 555 million gallons of treated wastewater
Scan QR Code to access the Citizen Request for Action portal.
list any streets you think needs attention.
28.5M
Visits to the City of Woodstock 633.8M Overnight Trips 22%
Increase in Sales at the Visitor Center $46K Downtown Dollar Sales 17.5K Visitor Center Attendance 202
INvestor Members
$35K+ revenue 96 INvestor Events Social Engagement Reach @downtownwoodstock
• Facebook .............. 1.5M
• Instagram ............
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• Instagram ............
Event Newsletter
• Subscribers .......... 4,600+
• Open Rate .............. 39%
Made Mercantile
ExploreGeorgia
Listed by as one of the Top 10 Stores to Shop in Atlanta Metro Region.
• Makers Hosted ...................... 20
• Occupancy Average................ 82%
• Retail Sales * ................... $300K
• Classes + Workshops ................. 190
• 2024 Graduates ..................... 7
*$60K was reinvested in the program; $240K earned by the Makers
Departmental Highlights:
• Hosted Official Visits from the following cities: Cartersville, Calhoun, Chamblee, Myrtle Beach, Smyrna, Stockbridge, and Costa Rica (oops…that’s a country!)
• Seven conferences attended— staff presented at three of them
• Assisted 40+ business locations
• In partnership with Laurie Rowe & Co., 76 articles were published, 5.9B total impressions were made, totaling an estimated value of $54.9M.
• 28 advertising campaigns ran in printed and digital publications.
Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Highlights
• The DDA renegotiated the land lease with Patriot Rail to extend the property that houses the historic depot and caboose. The new lease secures the use of the property for up to 50 years and allows a new end-user to commence further renovations and expansion of the facilities.
• The DDA closed on a half-acre piece of property adjacent to the roundabout at Towne Lake Parkway and Mill Street. The owner of the adjacent shopping center purchased the property and plans to build a new freestanding restaurant and reimagine the shopping center with a significant remodel.
• The funds received from the transaction above is earmarked for the construction of public art in the adjacent roundabout and additional street scaping along Towne Lake Parkway.
• The Mill Street parking lot has been re-landscaped and new outdoor furniture has been purchased.
Which top 4 businesses do you think thrived in the past year?
The Park at City Center continues to be a passiveweekday park and an event hub on special occasions.
Walkers and bikers on the Noonday Creek Trail have a beautiful view of of Noonday Creek—a hidden gem in Woodstock.
TRAIL
Little Human Recreation
• Chalk in the Walk & ROCKS
Rockin’ Public Art!
• Fun4Kids
Weekend & school break programming
• School Break Days
6 events
2,000 participants
• Santa Mail
300 letters received
• Storytime Live!
1,100 participants
• Trailstory
Children’s books are introduced on City walking trails
Other
• Brown Bag Concert Series
900+ in attendance
• Gaming
Gamestock, 45 participants
First Saturday Game Nights
Intro to Dungeons & Dragons
• Mayor’s Youth Leadership Academy
12 selected participants 1 week of courses
Jot down 3 NEW EVENT IDEAS that you would like to see happen in Woodstock!
Maintenance
Woofstock Park
• Replaced damaged boards on boardwalk
• Repaired a water leak
• Replaced shade structures
• Replaced dog drinking fountains
• Mulched it up!
Dupree Park
• Installed water bottle filling station
• Painted the restrooms (interior)
• Installed new water aerator in pond
• Mulched it up!
ADA Improvements in Parks
• ADA signs adjusted to 84 inches
• ADA pads installed at crosswalks & sidewalks
Administration
Little River Park
• Design & engineering plans completed and approved by the City Council
• Out for bid early 2025
• Construction to begin late April 2025
• Connector trail is in early stages of development
Rubes Creek Trail
• Design & engineering stage
• Out for bid by December 2025
• Construction to begin spring of 2026
Buckhead Trail Crossing
• Permitting stage
• Out for bid by February 2025
Dupree Park
• Master plan completed in October 2024
• Seeking adoption from Council March 2025
Re-accreditation Preparation
The Parks & Recreation department is working tirelessly to become re-accredited through National Recreation and Parks Association’s Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). The lengthy and thorough report includes:
• Narrative descriptions on meeting 154 CAPRA standards
• 1,000+ evidentiary documents of compliance
There are 10,000+ Parks and Recreation Agencies in the United States. Only 193 are accredited—only 14 of them are in Georgia.
Accolades
We are accredited and look forward to being re-accredited in 2025
Highlights
• Maintains an ISO Rating of 1
• Construction of Station #28 is underway on Ridgewalk Parkway
• One new fire engine in service
• New side-by-side ATV improves access to remote areas and service at special events
• Installed preemption devices on all responding fire apparatus to change red traffic lights to green ahead of responding emergency vehicles at Highway 5 and Arnold Mill Road
• Implemented Automatic Vehicle Location dispatch to create borderless response system in conjunction with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Servies and Cherokee County 911
• Placed new Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) in all five administrative vehicles
Community Risk Reduction Division
Formerly named the Fire Marshal’s Office, this department was reorganized and renamed to the Community Risk Reduction Division to better fit its expanded mission and redefined purpose.
More Highlights
• Received a $14,000 grant from the Woodstock Public Safety Foundation for a Fire Extinguisher simulator
• Received a donation of smoke alarms from KIDDE for distribution to our citizens.
• Onboarded Brycer, The Compliance Engine—a web-based program designed to track inspections on fire protections systems to ensure compliance with fire codes
• Implemented Lexipol, a software that mitigates risk and ensures safety through policy management, compliance solutions, training, and wellness resources
• Working with Georgia Institute of Technology to develop a comprehensive Community Risk Assessment
Community Outreach
23,000 REACHED MORE THAN INDIVIDUALS
• This was accomplished through community risk reduction programs such as educational programs, fire safety visits, fire station visits, fire forensic classes, Citizens Public Safety Academy, Teen Public Safety Academy, Shop with a Hero, Seniors and Law Enforcement Together, and The Open House celebration.
What city ordinance would you like to see implemented?
woodstockga.gov/police
38,799
12 square miles
WOODSTOCK’S SIZE HOURS OF TRAINING
14,132
1,097 HOURS OF TRAINING LED BY WOODSTOCK POLICE DEPARTMENT TRAINING STAFF
88 FLEET VEHICLES
10 COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS
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H.E.A.T. Unit*
The Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic Unit, implemented in October 2024, aims to combat impaired and aggressive driving—a leading cause of serious crashes and fatalities on Georgia’s roadways. In three short months the department was able to make our roadways safer yielding the following results*:
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*The data for the H.E.A.T. Unit is included in the Operational Metrix.
Flock Safety
K9 Patch joined WPD in July 2024 thanks to funds from AKC Reunite. Born in Serbia, Patch is a German Shorthaired Pointer certified in Explosives Detection by NNDDA. He loves working and playing with Handler—Trainer Ofc. Y. Letzin.
Social Media Engagement Citizens Reached 491,000 20.83%
Having reliable evidence is the key to solving crime. By combining the power of License Plate Recognition, gunshot detection, and video – Woodstock is safer with Flock Safety.
• Flock
• Flock
CRIME DOWN BY COMPARED TO 2023. In 2024, the Woodstock Police Department achieved an impressive overall crime clearance rate of 37.66%, exceeding the 2023 national average of 27.79%.
Led by Manager STACY
BROWN
Website
Woodstockga.gov
Drawan icon for your favorite way to connect to your city! without lifting up your pencil
woodstockga.gov/connect
• 179K unique visitors (up 34%)
• Avg session duration of 1m 4s
• 45 news articles published
• Major Upgrade!
Released January 2025
Facebook
• 17K Followers
• 40.2% increase in published content
• 379.5K Reach
Instagram
• 85% increase in published content
• 70K reached (up 323.5%)
YouTube
• 4,177 views
• 115.5 hours of watch time
LinkedIn
• 78.9K impressions
• 2.1K followers (up 35%)
X
• 942 followers
Nextdoor
• 16,689 households (up 115)
Email/SMS
• 765 contacts (up 288%)
• 69.3% open rate and a 10.9% click rate (average)
Highlights
Working with IT and HR, Communications completed the development of the city’s Employee Intranet. The site has averaged 3.5K views/month since its launch at the beginning of August.
Implemented upgraded interactive forms app on city website for improved accessibility, workflow, and tracking features.
Earned the city’s FIRST national communications award – 3CMA’s Silver Circle Award for Digital Interactive Issue Specific Website for the Woodstock Summer Concert Series website.
