[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6595982,"mediaKeyId","3020400-eb2fcc409a6c0add53c2ba7b03088a04","parentId",3020400,"title","Woodstock council approves paid downtown parking with first hour free; handicapped spaces excluded","audioSeconds",3220,"startMs",1304000,"endMs",4524000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3020400-eb2fcc409a6c0add53c2ba7b03088a04&start=1304&end=4524","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3020400-eb2fcc409a6c0add53c2ba7b03088a04/thumbnail_1304000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6595982/Woodstock-City/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Woodstock-council-approves-paid-downtown-parking-with-first-hour-free-handicapped-spaces-excluded","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595982-a9c7e8bf7c7c813745b5f45cc2d0d9bb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159833&Signature=AcNreq9CHI9b8ddcjmj2KZLwML0Eum7jWEfgzsySp4KzQ~SAgVOnv7IXGWzqi1akqMSRr9CaV3hTdFIVnLrc4zyVmX5ak~huGHdQT7t6Y6XvwKQErKEB3Z3SArDf-ZBKLA~BBdGDaNko~zA3DNuw-3LMkBDd5iFTNGE1rOTjK1P8rCcZJ3WxN~OSJCkIauvHavWw866EcsIkhgo7Vp6bMFIP1FQZ0LN1xlisbdREPF0IJBEBVI6u9TguINbcYF8hKG-6pqym6qRodsI2pclKgr5mUxJtTQd4sHaZOa8izUFfWX0Ravg-ZZ1O-wAETmoNULJGTn4oRjQT8kKL0OXHkQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Woodstock GA ","date","2025-04-14T18:56:00Z","article","The Woodstock City Council on April 14 adopted a fee schedule and a resolution to create paid parking zones covering parts of downtown, approving time limits and enforcement procedures while also amending the plan to make the first hour free and to exclude handicapped spaces from the paid zones.

Council members said the changes are intended to increase turnover in the most-used curbside spaces while using user fees to maintain parking infrastructure. The council voted 5–0, with Councilman Usher absent, to adopt the fee schedule and later carried the implementing resolution with the first-hour-free and handicapped exclusions.

Why it matters: downtown business owners have urged a short-term parking program to improve turnover of curbside parking in front of stores and restaurants. Council and staff said a modest paid zone covering about 15%–19% of the public parking inventory is intended to free up short-term spaces, pay for enforcement and maintenance, and avoid shifting those costs to taxpayers.

What council approved and why
- Fee schedule: Council adopted amendments to the municipal fee schedule that add paid-parking fines and enforcement rules. Staff told the council these additions do not by themselves create paid zones; they add the fines and processing fees to Chapter 4 of the city code so a later resolution can establish specific paid zones and rates.
- Fines and fee examples given by staff (Jeff Stockton, city staff): overtime in short-term zones $30; handicap parking violations $225; paid parking rate set at up to $2 per hour plus processing fees; nonpayment consequences start at $30 and, according to staff, escalate if unpaid after 30 days.
- Parking resolution and amendments: the council adopted a resolution to create four paid parking zones in downtown with a 3-hour cap, a $2-per-hour maximum rate, and an amendment that the first hour will be free for users and handicapped spaces will be excluded from the paid zones.

Public comment and concerns
Two residents spoke in opposition during the public hearing. Courtney Simcouli, a Woodstock resident (425 Hathaway Ave.), said the proposal could harm older residents and reduce safety and access: “The recent proposal poses risks ... to the citizen’s safety, well-being, access and success of local businesses.” Simcouli argued the city should consider impacts on older residents and people working later shifts.

Cassidy Simcoe, who also identified herself as a downtown parent and frequent visitor, reiterated concerns about convenience and cost for families and employees who work shifts longer than three hours.

Staff and vendor responses
Jeff Stockton, a city staff member leading the parking work, told council the paid zones cover roughly 15% of public parking (about 300 spaces out of nearly 2,000), that the city’s new parking fund will hold revenue to pay for enforcement and maintenance, and that enforcement would not be used to fund general city operations. \"Any money collected from this will go into the parking fund to pay for parking,\" Stockton said.

Gary Means, representing Pivot Parking (the enforcement/technology vendor), described technical and operational details for implementing first-hour-free rules and license-plate-based enforcement. Means said a first-hour-free program is possible, but the system typically requires drivers to start a (free) session so the vendor can log license plates and later notify users when their free time is nearing expiration. He said, \"there isn't a way ... to start the session and end the session without the person doing anything in that first hour-free scenario.\"

Security, access and enforcement policies
Council and staff discussed safety and enforcement at length. Stockton said the parking deck and lots are monitored and that downtown patrols are being increased (officers on foot Thursday–Sunday, roughly 2 p.m.–2 a.m.). The council also asked staff to adopt a policy preventing duplicate tickets for the same vehicle if both a police officer and the contracted parking enforcement observer encounter it; staff recommended applying that policy to the contracted enforcement company and to write a formal policy to avoid double tickets.

Other clarifications and next steps
- Start date and outreach: the resolution sets a start date of no earlier than June 1, 2025, to allow time for public education and outreach. Staff estimated at least six weeks of public notice and vendor setup before enforcement begins.
- Parking fund: revenues will be held in a parking enterprise fund and will be used for enforcement, maintenance of the parking deck and lots, and related parking operations—not police/fire salaries.
- Handicap spaces: Council directed staff to exclude physically designated handicapped parking spaces from the paid zones for the initial policy; staff will nevertheless capture utilization data for those spaces so council can revisit time limits if necessary.
- Data collection: staff and the vendor will collect baseline data and then additional data after the program begins to measure circling and occupancy; the council requested the city begin data collection in May to provide baseline information ahead of any enforcement start date.

Council action
- Fee schedule adoption: motion to adopt the fee schedule as presented with an amendment to preempt secondary citations by the contracted parking company (mover: Councilman Potts; second: Councilman Wolf). Vote: carried 5–0 (one absence: Councilman Usher).
- Paid-parking resolution and amendments: motion to adopt the resolution establishing paid zones with amendments (first hour free; handicapped spaces excluded; 3-hour cap; second and third hours priced at $2/hour). Motion (mover: not specified in the record; second: Councilman Potts). Vote: carried 5–0 (one absence: Councilman Usher).

What the city will monitor
Staff will provide updates on utilization, enforcement impacts, security metrics for the deck, and the vendor’s ability to support a frictionless first-hour-free option. The council indicated a willingness to iterate on rates and time limits after the initial data collection and a trial period.

Ending: the council framed the adopted program as a limited, data-driven pilot intended to increase turnover of the most in-demand curb spaces while using a dedicated parking fund to support maintenance and enforcement. The council also emphasized public outreach and promised to revisit details based on the data collected in the first months after implementation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council of Woodstock GA - City Council - Apr 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Woodstock City Council on April 14 adopted a fee schedule and a resolution to create paid parking zones downtown, approving a three-hour cap and a $2-per-hour maximum while amending the plan to make the first hour free and to exclude handicapped spaces.","taxTitle","Woodstock City, Cherokee County, Georgia","taxId",51313,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6595973,"Votes at a glance: Woodstock City Council, April 14, 2025",3761,1265000,5026000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3020400-eb2fcc409a6c0add53c2ba7b03088a04&start=1265&end=5026","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3020400-eb2fcc409a6c0add53c2ba7b03088a04/thumbnail_1265000.jpg","/articles/6595973/Woodstock-City/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Votes-at-a-glance-Woodstock-City-Council-April-14-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595973-1887bc7c846c99626ca20f6f65c1270a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159833&Signature=lT3OZpPDQfyZfYn~g5RfrGW~nqX0-uH-LGgRAOoQJn44fXhEgU4ZME3QCNKe2tzAnd35eUrSySEU4bcAWi-bzopMUxj2p12QR2wEbpNh9o-5ABHVNeSKTmtRIKXQQAqkVkL65whec0oMN9~rJnPh3cYN8GtgHBGt~S3PM1q~5Jtlj-IUPlwTrvBPSqijEMnEVmi-SRJdn9M8JdkwPLVlRixyCDYcOVj9r5mm5nF4Q2qONdSQm7sDPdxKkKldV-UDe-HXwf7iFq3tOuULkRdEh~QspndGEIYompVHgHg7m~DBoUinmV3KxCTPSRt-Kdd-tuiDkeAxw5yY0U4756DXuQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","This list summarizes the formal actions recorded by the Woodstock City Council at its April 14, 2025 regular meeting. Vote tallies are recorded as announced in the meeting; where individual roll-call names were not read for every vote, the council’s announced totals are listed.

Key votes and outcomes
- Consent agenda (items 8–11) — Approved. Motion carried 5–0 (1 absence: Councilman Usher).
- Appointment: Greg Smith appointed to the Planning Commission, Ward 2 — Motion carried (mover: Councilman Potts; second: Councilman Ake). Vote recorded as carried by council announcement.
- Fee schedule amendments (public parking fees added to Chapter 4) — Approved with amendment to preempt secondary citation by the contracted parking company (mover: Councilman Potts; second: Councilman Wolf). Vote recorded 5–0 (1 absence: Councilman Usher).
- Paid-parking resolution (establish Zones 1–4 downtown) — Adopted with amendments: first hour free; 3-hour cap remains; handicapped-designated spaces excluded from paid zones. Motion carried 5–0 (1 absence: Councilman Usher). Staff to begin outreach and baseline data collection prior to enforcement.
- Noonday Creek Trail Extension change order — Approved as a not-to-exceed amount of $520,800, subject to staff verification of corrected unit/quantity math and GDOT sign-off. Motion carried 5–0.
- Approval of minutes (March 24 special and regular meeting minutes) — Approved. Motions carried 5–0.
- Denials of annual item notices (added after executive session):
- Item 10-2: Annual item notice denial for claimant Damon Scott — Motion to deny carried 4–0 with 1 abstention (Councilman Wolf abstained) and 1 absence (Councilman Usher).
- Item 10-3: Annual item notice denial for claimant Jackson Hancock Little — Motion to deny carried 4–0 with 1 abstention (Councilman Wolf) and 1 absence (Councilman Usher).
- Item 10-4: Annual item notice denial for claimant Karen Lorenzo — Motion to deny carried 5–0 (1 absence: Councilman Usher).
- Item 10-5: Annual item notice denial for claimants Andrea Hudson, Cooper Hudson and William Hudson — Motion to deny carried 5–0 (1 absence: Councilman Usher).
- Settlement approval: Item 10-6, settlement agreement for the Fowler cases — Motion to approve authorizing the mayor to sign subject to city attorney approval carried 5–0 (1 absence: Councilman Usher).

Recusals and absences
- Councilman Potts indicated a potential conflict and initially sat out of a vote (staff acknowledged his abstention earlier in the meeting); the official recorded votes later for the Noonday change order and other items were read as 5–0 where recorded.
- Councilman Wolf abstained on two annual-item-denial votes related to claimants Damon Scott and Jackson Hancock Little and was recorded as abstaining in those items.
- Councilman Usher was absent for the meeting; the council announced multiple 5–0 results noted as having one absence.

Procedural notes
- Several items (annual item denial motions and a settlement motion) were added to the agenda after an executive session; the council voted to add those items before considering them.
- Staff and the city attorney were directed to ensure corrected paperwork (in particular, accurate unit/quantity calculations on the change order) and to obtain required GDOT inspection sign-offs before final execution of construction contract amendments.

Ending: the council closed its business by approving routine minutes, handling added annual-item-denial requests after executive session, and approving a settlement agreement for the Fowler cases; multiple items will require follow-up paperwork or policy development by staff.","Summary of formal actions taken by the Woodstock City Council on April 14, 2025, including appointments, consent agenda votes, contract amendments, denials of claims and a settlement approval.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6595977,"Woodstock council approves Noonday Creek Trail change order after contractors hit deeper organic soils",417,2461000,2878000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3020400-eb2fcc409a6c0add53c2ba7b03088a04&start=2461&end=2878","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3020400-eb2fcc409a6c0add53c2ba7b03088a04/thumbnail_2461000.jpg","/articles/6595977/Woodstock-City/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Woodstock-council-approves-Noonday-Creek-Trail-change-order-after-contractors-hit-deeper-organic-soils","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595977-cc26f3dde92c2e33321bce8559c6f393/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159833&Signature=hMJmpvDNtu-oRJeCT~NBi-c1d0PU9-l4nev7EvAbPqt~74og07ZS6F90IHSIMKb2PG2Qht099R8ZL-Wp~-XmztLnvmP0Nim4PLX-3iN4fOaGqSeZHGeDGgRu88Za5MD8t3b3GKTiNkSseZPpk3hI317vlGrkZD9EXOMjxWsruhvNts0zizX9O7i4lHsvxIMzqMPk6P-DNxTS0~ycuy9VACnh-cdvl8sgjkzeTozCFj8zcLmUUJqS7iTfjxuLgib12hUTghbXPD6T0QNlnIUvHGKH5js8gkF~2SgVGBrSe9ert9smdinVzCKnrIFDQxRPuIkyljgCdanirY60zwXzrQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Woodstock City Council on April 14 approved a change order for the Noonday Creek Trail Extension after contractors encountered unexpected organic soils that required deeper excavation and additional work. The council approved a not-to-exceed amendment after staff and members raised questions about quantities and math on the change-order paperwork.

Miss Cash, the city staff member presenting the project, told council the change order was needed because the contractor encountered \"muck\" (organic material) under planned excavations; inspectors directed crews to reach solid ground, increasing excavation depth and quantities. The change order covers work already completed in wetland 1 and includes a quantity allowance for wetland 2, which staff said appears likely to have a similar soil profile.

Budget and contract mechanics
Staff said the change order will exceed the in-house approval threshold and cross the project's 10% contingency threshold, therefore requiring council approval. The design engineer on the project was identified as Heath & Lombok Engineers; staff also noted that a Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) inspector must sign off on requests.

Council questions and corrections
Council members asked for a review of the arithmetic and unit quantities on the presented form. Councilman Johnson identified a discrepancy in the agenda packet calculation (a quantity times unit-price total that did not match). Staff agreed to correct the change-order documents; the approved motion conditioned the change order as a not-to-exceed amount with staff verifying the exact computed total prior to final signature.

Outcome and conditions
Council approved the change order as a not-to-exceed amount of $520,800 after staff acknowledged a unit-price/quantity math correction would be made; the council recorded the motion as carried 5–0. Staff also said future change orders on the project will come before council for approval, and that GDOT oversight applies to each request.

Technical and oversight notes
- Scope: the change order includes additional excavation/grading in wetland 1 (already completed) and anticipates similar conditions in wetland 2; staff characterized the present amount as a not-to-exceed allowance and said actual billings may be lower.
- Inspector oversight: a GDOT inspector must sign off on requests for the project, per staff.
- Contract timing: staff noted the contractor has been instructed not to resume the affected work until council action and any corrected paperwork are complete; change order may also extend contract time (staff noted an anticipated 90-day extension or comparable time adjustment might be needed).

Council action
- Motion to approve a change order for the Noonday Creek Trail Extension as a not-to-exceed amount of $520,800, with staff to verify and correct unit/quantity math prior to final execution. Vote recorded as carry 5–0.

Ending: staff will return corrected paperwork for the city manager’s signature and continue to present any additional change orders for council approval. The council requested accurate quantity math and emphasized that GDOT approval remains required.","Council approved a contract amendment and not-to-exceed change order for the Noonday Creek Trail Extension after contractors encountered deeper-than-expected organic material. The change order covers wetland work and includes GDOT inspection requirements; council requested staff verify quantities and unit math before finalizing the amount.","actionData","errors"]

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Woodstock council approves paid downtown parking with first hour free; handicapped spaces excluded

Votes at a glance: Woodstock City Council, April 14, 2025

Woodstock council approves Noonday Creek Trail change order after contractors hit deeper organic soils