Richard McLeod Serves Last Woodstock Council Meeting

Monday night was the Woodstock City Council meeting in which Community Development Director Richard McLeod would appear as a city employee.

McLeod during the meeting told the council how much he's enjoyed working the city in the last 10 years of his career. McLeod earlier this month accepted an offer to serve as the community development director for the city of Alpharetta.

“It’s been humbling pleasure of my life to serve you all, the citizens and the city,” he said, noting it wasn't an easy decision for him to accept the offer from Alpharetta. 

The agenda was a light one for McLeod: he only had to present a city-initiated rezoning request to rezone 6.02 acres along Woodstock Parkway from light industrial to the technology park overlay, which the council unanimously approved. 

McLeod said that while he's leaving the city to work for Alpharetta, he plans to stay involved in the city as Woodstock has been and will remain his family's home.

City Manager Jeff Moon said that while he and McLeod have disagreed on issues over the years, he's "grown to depend on him" and his expertise.

Mayor Donnie Henriques noted McLeod has done an excellent job for the city of Woodstock.

“You’re going to do a terrific job for the city of Alpharetta and we’re going to miss you,” he added.  

McLeod's last day with Woodstock will be on Friday Nov. 2 and he will start his new gig with Alpharetta on the following Monday, Nov. 5. Moon said City Planner Brian Stockton will begin serving as the interim community development director on that same day.

Woodstock started advertising for the position last week and the city manager noted the city had received seven applications as of Friday. The position has a pay scale that ranges from $68,330 to $103,972. Moon said he hopes to begin interviews the week after Thanksgiving and possibly have someone in place by or around Jan. 1.

In other business, the council approved the emergency purchase to replace master meters the city says is losing 1.6 million gallons of water per month. The city estimates that equates to a loss of $25,800 in water/sewer revenue on a monthly basis. 

The replacement of the master meters is expected to cost $39,872.66. Five meters will be replaced: two at Woodstock Elementary School, one at Sky Ridge Apartments, one at Columbia Creek Apartments and another at Alta Woods Apartments.