Woodstock gave Google Fiber a 15-year franchise to lay fiber under city streets and hired a contractor for 2 trail links worth $509,550. What passed Monday.

Google Fiber now has the city’s permission to build a fiber internet network under and over Woodstock’s streets. The Woodstock City Council approved a franchise agreement with Google Fiber Georgia LLC on Monday night.

The same vote hired a contractor to build two trail connections, on Rope Mill Road and at Dupree Road. The two contracts total $509,550.

All nine items were on the council’s consent agenda, which passes in one vote. No member asked to pull any item for separate debate. The motion carried 6-0, according to the city’s video of the Oct. 12 meeting. The details below come from the meeting’s agenda packet.

Google Fiber: what the franchise does

The agreement lets Google Fiber put a fiber network in the public right of way. That is the strip of public land along streets and sidewalks. The company would use it to sell broadband internet and internet phone service to homes and businesses in the city.

The agreement’s main terms:

  • Not exclusive. The city can grant the same rights to other providers.
  • 15 years. It then renews in five-year terms unless either side gives six months’ notice.
  • Franchise fee. Google Fiber pays the city 2% of its gross revenue from the network, every quarter.
  • Permits still needed. Each dig or installation needs its own city permit, and Google Fiber pays the permit and inspection fees.
  • Repairs at its cost. The company must fix any damage its work causes to streets, sidewalks or private property.
  • Underground where the city requires it. Where other utilities are already buried, Google Fiber must bury its lines too.
  • A $10,000 performance bond held for the life of the agreement.

The agreement does not include TV service. It also sets no start date for construction and no map of which neighborhoods would be served. A franchise is permission to build. It is not a promise that service will reach a particular street.

Two trail connections, one contractor

Both trail contracts went to DAF Concrete Inc., the lowest qualifying bidder each time. Each job has 90 days to finish once the city issues a notice to proceed.

Project What gets built Contract Bids
Rope Mill Road Trail Connection 8-foot trail, drainage and a traffic-calming island on Rope Mill Road, from Inwood Walk North to across from Camelia Place $354,930 12
Noonday Creek Trail Connection at Dupree Road 10-foot trail linking Dupree Road to the Noonday Creek Trail $154,620 9

The Rope Mill Road job also includes road widening, curb and gutter, storm drains, rebuilt driveways and new striping, the city’s bid document said.

For the Dupree Road link, the bid document said a house on Dupree Road will be torn down and three driveways removed to make room for the trail.

The lowest Dupree Road bid, $147,700 from the M. Mitchell Group, was disqualified. The city’s staff report said the firm did not send the amended pricing sheet and was not prequalified with the Georgia Department of Transportation. The highest bid was $446,175. On Rope Mill Road, bids ran from DAF’s $354,930 up to $698,045.

A police grant, for the third year

The council also accepted a $97,071.36 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The money funds the Woodstock Police Department’s H.E.A.T. unit, which stands for Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic. The staff report said this is the city’s third straight year receiving the award.

The grant runs from Oct. 1, 2026, to Sept. 30, 2027, according to the city’s Oct. 14 release. Woodstock is one of 32 Georgia agencies to receive one. The release said the unit targets impaired driving, speeding and seat belt use.

“This H.E.A.T. grant will help to fund specialized traffic enforcement units in Woodstock,” Police Chief Roland Castro said in the release.

The department will also take part in the statewide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket campaigns. The release said that means high-visibility patrols, roadchecks and sobriety checkpoints at times through the year.

The same vote also:

  • closed out the city’s fiscal 2026 budget before its audit
  • passed the second reading of a city code change on livestock
  • agreed to transfer city land at 540 Industrial Drive to the Downtown Development Authority, which can sell it and spend the money on projects the two agree on
  • renewed the city’s annual Title VI nondiscrimination agreement with GDOT
  • set the 2027 council meeting and work session schedule

What it means for you

  • Internet: don’t expect Google Fiber at your door yet. Watch for city right-of-way permits and marked utility lines on your street. Those will be the first signs of construction. The franchise does not change service from your current provider.
  • Trails: Rope Mill Road will have lane work and driveway rebuilding while the trail goes in. The city has not yet announced start dates. We will add closures to our road construction and closures page when the city posts them. Our parks and trails guide covers the trails these links will join.
  • Driving: expect more traffic enforcement, including checkpoints, through September 2027.

The council’s work session set for Monday, Oct. 19, is canceled. The next regular meeting is 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, at The Chambers at City Center, 8534 Main St. Agendas and video are on the city’s meetings page.