Interview with the Mayor - August 11th, 2025

Monday, 11 August 2025 10:39

Council will discuss the upcoming changes to waste collection and a proposed change for recreation program registration in Woodstock.

WOODSTOCK - Woodstock residents could be getting first dibs on recreation program registration in their hometown.

City Council will look over a report suggesting the City open registration for local residents a week earlier than the general registration, where anyone can sign up.

Mayor Jerry Acchione says lots of people outside of the City have been signing up for Woodstock's rec programs and day camps.

"We've started to narrow it down by postal codes, and we're recognizing that upwards of 20 percent of people filling the spots here in the City of Woodstock, don't actually live in the City of Woodstock."

He adds some of the people signing up for these programs don't even live in Oxford County.

If council signs off on this change, the matter will be revisited a year from now. Depending on the results, Acchione says council might consider increasing the registration price for non-residents.

During this Thursday's meeting, Council will also consider taking $76,264 out of reserves, so the Woodstock Fire Department (WFD) can buy a new pump for Engine 2. The truck itself is over 10-years-old, and the bearings recently went on its existing pump. The WFD has a repairs budget of $100,000 for each budget year, and the cost of this new pump would take a significant amount of that halfway through the calendar year.

Council will talk about some of the big changes on the horizon for waste collection as well. A green bin organics program will start in Woodstock and South-West Oxford on January 1st, 2026. Mayor Jerry Acchione says that's when the new collection schedule also begins.

"Right now we are five days, but we are going to a six day collection cycle to help save millions, a significant amount. That means your garbage day or collection day is going to be changing."

These changes will hit the rest of the County in May of 2027.

The province will handle recycling as of next year and we should be getting more details about that in the fall. There is a big push to shine a light on these upcoming changes right now, so no one is caught off-guard.

Thursday's City Council meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and it will be livestreamed on the City of Woodstock YouTube page. You can also find the meeting agenda online here.

During his interview on the Heart FM morning show today, Mayor Acchione also discussed the following:

- His nephew Carter's 18th birthday.

- The large crowd at Cowapalooza over the weekend.

- New housing developments proposed for Canterbury Street, Russell Street, and and Huron Street.

- His thoughts on today's Daily Debate, if you could bring back something from your childhood, what would you pick?

You can listen to the full interview below: