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Residents press Woodstock leaders on Barnes Road safety; commenter raises state livestock preemption statute
Summary
Residents urged engineering action on Barnes Road intersection hazards and hidden-driveway signage; Thomas Weaver urged review of newly enacted state measure he identified as House Bill 413 (Public Act 379 of 2026) that he says may preempt municipal livestock regulation on roads and private property; city manager said staff will review policies and legal implications.
Two residents told the council on May 11 that traffic conditions at Barnes Road and neighboring streets are hazardous and requested immediate action, and an outside resident raised concerns about a newly enacted state law he said preempts municipal livestock restrictions.
Gopinath Govindraj, who lives on Riverside Lane, told the council he had previously reported a dangerous condition at the Barnes Road and Riverview Drive intersection and distributed an Urban SDK report indicating roughly 11,000 vehicles per day using the corridor and a nontrivial share of drivers exceeding threshold speeds. He asked the council to direct the engineering department to update the current site study, implement traffic-management interventions, and install MUTCD-compliant hidden-driveway signage.
"Tonight I'm asking the council to direct the engineering department to follow the conclusion of their own report and implement traffic management on westbound Barnes Road," Govindraj said.
Irene Marsh, a nearby resident, described difficulty exiting her subdivision and the dangers residents face at the roundabout and asked for enforcement and corrective action; she said prior contacts with staff had not yielded a resolution.
Thomas Weaver, who identified himself as a resident of Canton and a frequent correspondent with city staff, told council members the Georgia General Assembly adopted "House Bill 413, Public Act 379 of 2026," and asserted the law preempts city and county regulation of livestock on private property and public roads. He urged the city to review its intergovernmental agreements, to consult with county staff and legal counsel, and to consider whether municipal ordinances remain enforceable in light of the state measure.
City Manager Jeff Moon responded in part by clarifying the city's traffic-calming committee policy (requests come from an HOA or, absent an HOA, by petition) and said staff would follow up regarding the legal questions raised; Moon noted staff had already engaged county staff on some related issues and that the mayor and council remain the appropriate venue for matters beyond the committee's scope.
No council action was taken at the meeting beyond directing staff to follow up and to respond as appropriate to the public commenters.
