Woodstock Mayor Gives Update During State Of City

WOODSTOCK, GA — Woodstock Mayor Donnie Henriques delivered his annual State of the City Address at the City Council Meeting on Monday.

Henriques spoke about the accomplishments of 2019 and updated citizens on where the city is heading in 2020.

The City of Woodstock is staffed by more than 200 employees across nine divisions who work daily to provide professionalism, leadership, and customer service to citizens, stakeholders, and visitors, Henriques said.

Of those employees, some were honored in 2019 for their work, including Police Chief Calvin Moss.

"The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police named Calvin Moss 2019 Outstanding Chief of the Year," Henriques said. "With more than 37 years experience, Chief Moss' long list of accomplishments has placed the department on the leading edge of law enforcement agencies in Georgia."

Law Enforcement

• Woodstock Fire and Rescue reached over 35,500 citizens through outreach programs such as the Annual Open House at Fire Station 14 and Ghost Out at Woodstock High School.
• Law Enforcement Explorers competed regionally earning two first place, one second place, and two third place finishes in the competition earning third place overall.
• Police and Fire Departments combined to host two sessions of the Public Safety Academy which gave approximately 50 citizens an inside look into the responsibilities and risks these agencies face. To date, over 700 citizens have graduated from the academy.
• Police deployed a pink patrol car for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The initiative gained national media attention and over 1,600 citizen signatures in tribute of breast cancer survivors.

Citizen Officer Interactions

• 1,458 Foot Patrols
• 91 Bike Patrols
• Participated in 191 Community Meetings
• Held 10 CRASE Seminars
• Engage with 30,000 Followers on Social Media
• With the help of the Woodstock Walmart and the Woodstock Public Safety Foundation, Police and Fire and Rescue served 107 youth at this year's event.

Municipal Communications

• Over 10,500 users interact with City of Woodstock, GA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn
• woodstockga.gov had 341,440 visits in 2019
• Employees responded to 385 requests from citizens for assistance with public works, code enforcement, administration, and sanitation issues.

Other notable achievements included:

• The Building Officials Association of Georgia honored Senior Building Inspector Jake Hill with the 2019 Georgia Inspector of the Year Award.
• Mayor Donnie Henriques presented Pastor Johnny Hunt with a Key to the City on the occasion of his final sermon as pastor of First Baptist Woodstock congratulating Pastor Hunt and expressing the city's gratitude for the tremendous impact he has had on our community.
• Impact Fees: Over $450,000 in 2019 through new residential permits for expansion of parks and recreation facilities. Since its inception in 2008, the Impact Fee Program has allowed City of Woodstock to purchase and/or develop some 200 acres of park and greenspace, build the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Amphitheater, and expand the trail system.
• Unrestricted Fund Balance more than $6.26 million, representing 28.1 percent of current year General Fund expenditures
• The City of Woodstock has maintained the millage rate at the same level since 2009.
• Received the Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Award for 4th year in a row and the GFOA Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Award for the 26th consecutive year

"Woodstock is taking proactive steps to provide its citizens with a sustainable living environment," Henriques said. "The goal of these programs is to define and implement the necessary steps to minimize the city’s negative impact on the environment while promoting energy efficiency and cost savings."

• Green Communities: Recertified at the Gold Level by the Atlanta Regional Commission
• Community Garden: Relocated in 2019 with plans to improve experience of the gardeners
• Greenstock Day: 17,500 lbs. of electronics; 1,450 lbs. of batteries; 3 tons of other recyclables; 9,500 lbs. of paper shredded
• Bring One for the Chipper and Christmas Tree Chip N Dip: 372 trees were collected and chipped at Olde Rope Mill Park
• Mayor's Recycling Challenge: Collected 850,000 lbs. of recyclables; recognized for highest percentage increase at 67 percent
• Little River Clean Up: 200 volunteer hours; 1,820 lbs. of trash and debris over 4 miles
• Urban Orchard: Three kinds of fruit trees were planted at Dupree Park made possible by a grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission's Local Food Initiative
• Street Sweeper: Collected 201,000 lbs. of debris from streets in the City of Woodstock

Development

• 322 residential permits issued
• Commercial construction value of $27 Million added 465,000 SF of commercial space
• Completed projects included: Molly Ln Commercial, W-Building on Main St, Johnston Building
• Over 12,000 building inspections took place, an increase of 47 percent over 2018
• Construction projects for the last 5 years valued at $775 Million

Business

• 438 new business licenses issued
• 22 ribbon cuttings celebrated new businesses through IN WDSTK, Inc.
• Established small business license waiver program which waives fees for new businesses meeting certain criteria
• DDA signed lease on building to establish retail maker and cowork space
• Hotel demand up 3.5 percent generating revenue of over $10 Million

IN WDSTK, Inc. will also be hosting a State of the City Breakfast at 7:45 a.m. on Friday at the Elm Street Arts: City Center Theater. Breakfast is complimentary, but registration is required at wdstk.ga/sotc2020.

View the mayor's speech at the Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch Facebook page: