Woodstock Candidates Say Traffic, Debt Biggest Issues

Four of the six candidates running for the Woodstock City Council fielded questions from three panelists in a political forum Wednesday night in Canton.

Incumbents Bob Mueller of Ward 3 and Bud Leonard of Ward 5, along with Ward 1 candidates Warren Johnson and John Szczesniak, were peppered with questions in the forum, co-sponsored by the Cherokee Tribune and WLJA radio 101.1 FM.

Challengers Judy Davila for Ward 3 and Susan Jones for Ward 5 told forum organizers they would not be able to attend. 

Candidates were asked what they thought were the most pressing issues for Woodstock, all of which said were the traffic and growth the city is seeing.

Szczesniak, who has been a member of the Woodstock Planning Commission for the last several years, said the city has not been able to build its planned street grid network on the west side of Main Street in downtown due to two major developments — Woodstock West and Hedgewood — coming to a stall as a result of the housing market crash.

Candidates also touched on the city's debt, which hovers around $44 million. Leonard, who is running for his third term, said most of the city's debt is in its Water & Sewer fund. The debt is from the city making upgrades to its Waste Water Treatment Plant. 

"We're not going to go into the hole," Leonard stated, noting the city is "not in a debt crisis."  

Mueller noted the city also had to issue bonds in order to widen some of its streets, such as Ridgewalk Parkway.

However, Johnson added the city should have asked developers to contribute towards the widening of streets. The city was "in a very big hurry to build the outlet mall," but it did not stop and think about the consequences of spending. 

Woodstock "cannot continue to spend the way we have in the last six years," he added. 

The city council earlier this year approved an agreement with Community & Southern Bank to borrow $2.7 million to pay for the widening of Ridgewalk Parkway between the Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta's main entrance and Ridge Trail. 

The city, along with Horizon Group Properties, the outlet mall's developer, and Cherokee County all chipped in to pay for the roadway's improvements.

When asked how they felt about the city's millage rate and average amount residents pay in property taxes, the candidates noted they felt the city's rate is not as bad as it could be.  

Leonard pointed out the city has only raised property taxes once in the last six years, when in 2008 it voted to raise its millage rate above the revenue neutral mark.

Those other times the council increased the millage rate was to maintain a revenue neutral outlook, meaning raising the rate to make up for decreases in the tax digest.

Szczesniak added the city's budget has been cut significantly over the last several years, and any more cuts would start to eat into services residents depend on such as police and fire.  

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