City Information Web site: www.cityofws.org
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May 2008
Winston-Salem
CityPage
$396.3 million budget
proposed for 2008-2009
City 'Manager Lee Garrity has recommended to the City
Council a "hold the line" budget of $396.3 million for 2008
2009 that foregoes any significant expansion in city services
and keeps the city property-tax rate unchanged.
Overall the proposed budget allocates $304.7 million for
operations and debt service, and $91.6 million for capital
improvements, resulting in a 1.9 percent increase over 2007
2008.
The City Council's Finance Committee will begin reviewing
the budget this week. The council is tentatively scheduled to
hold a public hearing and vote on the budget on June 16. By
state law, the council must adopt a budget for 2008-2009 by
June 30, The budget would take effect July 1.
.Slowed growth in the tax base because of a downturn in
housing starts and lagging car sales has led the city to project a
1.5-percent increase in the tax base over the coming year. This
How to participate in the
budget process
Copies of the proposed budget are available for review
at public libraries and City Hall, 101 N. Main St. Suite 30.
Copies of the budget are also available online at
www.cityofws.org. &
?
? The City Council's Finance Committee will hold
workshops on the budget May 22, 27, June 3, 5, 9 and
10. All workshops will start at 4 p.m. in the Council
Committee Room (Room 239) on the second floor of
City HaH, except on June 10, which will start at 2 p.m.
J- These workshops are open to the public but are for the
purpose of allowing council members to study the
proposed budget.
? The Finance Committee will hold a pubWc hearing on
the budget at 7;30 p.m. May 29 in the Council
Chamber, Room 230 on the second floor of City Hall. ?
? The Public Safety Committee will review the budgets for
the Police, Fire and Emergency Management ____
departments on June 9 at 6 p.m. in the Council "'"ESSES
Committee Room (Room 239) on the second floor of
City Hall.
? The City Council will hold a public hearing on the
budget at 7:30 p.m. June 16 in thq, Council Chamber,
Room 230 on the second floor of City Hall.
is substantially less than the robust growth of the past two
years, and well below the average growth of 2.5 percent a year
since 1994.
This weak revenue growth, combined with rising prices for
gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt and other petroleum-related
commodities, forced the city to seek savings elsewhere,
Garrity said in his budget message to the City Council.
"Balancing the general fund budget without a property tax
increase required a commitment on the part of all
departments to effectively provide the same levels of service
without substantially increasing expenses," Garrity said.
"Service enhancements that were particularly difficult to leave
out of the budget were more police officers to focus on street
level drug crime, more grounds maintenance crews to respond
to high-volume litter locations, and additional funds to replace
vehicles and equipment on a more frequent basis."
In addition, the proposed budget would leave unfilled three
vacant positions in the Planning and Inspections departments,
a step made possible because of reduced workload in the
wake of the downturn in the housing market. Overall, the city's
annual operations review identified savings of $462,280 that
were incorporated into the proposed budget.
Despite the squeeze on revenues, the proposed budget
maintains the current level of city services and makes a few
enhancements:
? City Link, the city's centralized call center, would be
expanded to respond to all calls placed to the city, except for
highly specialized areas, including revenue collection and
non-emergency police and fire calls. This will be
accomplished by transferring 12 positions to City Link from
other city departments.
? The Fire Department budget would allow more firefighters to
attend specialized training in rescuing operations, computer
skills and hazardous materials.
? The Utilities Division would add six positions to create two
additional crews for cleaning sewer lines, allowing it to meet
a federal requirement that 10 percent of all sewer lines be
cleaned annually.
Most user fees would remain unchanged, with some
f;eptions:
A $2 state disposal tax wi|W charged for every ton of waste
disposed at the Hanes Min Road and Old Salisbury Road
landfills. Disposal fees for yard waste will also increase by $2
a ton.
? The annual yard-cart collection fee will increase to $55 from
$50 to meet rising fuel and disposal costs. The new fee
would take effect next year and would not apply to stickers
for 2008-2009. The fee has not been raised since the
Proposed 2008-2009 Budget*
Where the money comes from..
Net Reserve Appropriations Property & Sales Taxes
$4.4 v $129.9
Bond Proceeds
$84.4 Licenses
& Permits
Other Resources $10.7
$15.9
Intergovernmental
$36.3
Charges for Services Investment Income
$108.1 $6.6
Total: $396.3 Million
...and where the money goes.
General
ernmi
$4.4
^ . Government Environmental Health
Community & Government $181.9
Economic Dev. . ? - Interdepartmental
$20.3 Services
M ,.nagement - Lelsur^Sen/lee*
Transportation Debt Service
$32.0 / U $30.2
Human Resources safety
$9,3 $84.1 * figures show
_ o in millions
6 Total: $396.3 Million
inception of the program in 2002.
? Fees for bulk-container collection would increase by an average
of 20 percent to cover increased fuel and disposal costs.
? Water and sewer rates would increase by 7 and 9 percent,
respectively, to help pay for capital improvements to the
water and sewer system and cover increased operating.oosts
driven by rising fuel prices. With the rate increase, the
bimonthly water and sewer bill for the average household in
Winston-Salem would be $57.44, an increase of seven cents
a day.
The proposed budget includes $507,500 - the same as this
year - in grants to the Arts Council Inc., SciWorks, the National
Black Theatre Festival, River Run International Film Festival,
and the Piedmont Triad Film Commission. No grants would be
made to new agencies.
The proposed budget for capital improvements includes
$25.5 million to begin rebuilding the R.A. Thomas Water Plant,
$19 million for updating the Elledge Wastewater Treatment
Plant, and $4.5 million to replace aging water and sewer lines
in the Ardmore neighborhood.
- It's time to renew your
yard cart sticker
City residents with yard-waste carts must purchase 2008
?2009 stickers by June 30 if they want the city to continue to
empty the cart with no interruption in collection.
The fee is $50 to have the cart emptied once a week.
Households are limited to three carts and each cart must
have a sticker.
Residents can now order and pay for stickers online. Go
to www.cityofws.org and click on the "Pay Bills" link.
Stickers may also be purchased at the revenue center in
the Stuart Municipal Building, 100 E. First St.; at the Black
Phillips Smith Government Center, 2301 N. Patterson Ave.;
or at the City Warehouse, 1550
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Residents may also have the
sticker mailed to them by calling
747-6953 and paying with their
VISA or Mastercard.
Stickers are good from July 1,
2008 through June 30, 2009 and
must be purchased to have a cart
emptied for the year or any portion
thereof. For more information call
City Link at 727-8000.
New Historical Marker
o
The city's newest historic site marker was unveiled May
18 to commemorate Maynard Field, the first commercial air
field in North Carolina. The field, established in 1919, bears
the name of Belvin W. Maynard, a North Carolina native,
World War I test pilot and ordained minister who earned
national fame after the war as "the Flying Parson." The
marker is on Kernersville Road opposite the intersection
with Maynard Drive. o
Keep our streams clean...
If you're in the lawn-care business, make plans to be at
the N.C. Cooperative Extension Center in Forsyth County on
June 19 for the next "Clean Streams" training program.
The program teaches lawn-care professionals practical
ways to ensure that fertilizers and chemicals do not harm
water quality in urban counties. All attendees who are
licensed will receive two pesticide credits for recertification,
a Clean Streams program certificate of completion, and
recognition as a "Clean Streams-certified" business on the
city's Stormwater DivisiorfWeb site.
Clejyi Streams is a joint initiative of the city Stormwater
Division and the Cooperative Extension Center. The program
will be held from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at
the Cooperative Extension Center at 1450 Fairchild Drive in
Winston-Salem. The cost is $10 and will include lunch.
Preregister by June 18. For more information or to register,
call Wendy Hartup at 703-5850.
Help some hungry kids
The city and the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
are again collaborating this summer to ensure children who
need breakfast and lunch during the summer months are
served by the school system's summer nutrition program.
Volunteers are needed to help transport children to
schools that will serve as feeding sites, and to monitor the
cafeterias. No cooking, serving or cleaning will be involved.
The inaugural "Summer Feeding Program for Hungry
Children" last summer brought a 17 percent increase in the
number of lunches served compared with 2006. The 2007
program offered breakfast for the first time, and the
average number of meals served per day increased by more
than 200 compared with 2006.
This year the summer feeding program will begin June
16 and end Aug. 8. The program will provide both breakfast
ahd lunch. Volunteers are needed for both meals. For more
details and to volunteer, call the mayor's office at 727-2058
or fill out an application online at www.cityofws.org and link
to the mayor's page.
City Link now
staffed 24/7
City Link agents are
now on duty 24 hours a
dtyHnkecityofuis.org /
day, seven days a week, to
serve city residents. City Link is the city's call center that gives
city residents one number to call, when they want to request a
service, report a problem, get information or make a
suggestion.
The public works telephone number for after hours emer
gencies is still in service, but is being answered by City Lipk.
Gone, but not forgotten
This year's Memorial Day observance will include a
special presentation of "A Table Set for One" by Ida Mae Neal
to remember the fate of those members of the armed
services who remain missing in action or prisoners of war.
A roll of the names of all the Forsyth County servicemen
killed in action will be read following her remarks. There also
will be a Color Guard provided Dy tne
East Surry High School Army JROTC,
and two buglers will play Taps.
This year's Memorial Day
observance will begin at 6 p.m.
Monday, May 26, in the atrium of
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial
Coliseum. The ceremony is
sponsored by the Triad Vietnam
Veterans Association in partnership
with the city of Winston-Salem.
Collection Changes for Memorial Day
Garbage: no change
Curbslde Recycling and Yard-waste carta: collections
will be postponed a day: Monday collections will be
made on Tuesday, etc.
For more information go to www.cltvofws.org or call
City Link at 727-8000.
The City or Winston-Salem does not discriminate on the basis of race. tax. color, age.
national origin, religion or disability in its employment opportunities, programs,
services or activities. (TDD number 727-8319)
CltyPag* Is published through the cooperative efforts of the City of
Winston-Salem and The Chronica. Question or concern about city
government services? Call CKy Link at 727-8000.
Mayor: Allen Joines City Council: Vivian H. Burke. Mayor Pro Tempore. Northeast
Ward: Dan Besse, Southwest Ward; Robert C, Clark, West Ward; Joycelyn V. Johnson.
East Ward; Molly Lelght South Ward; Nelson L. Malloy Jr., North Ward; Wanda Merschel.
Northwest Ward; Evelyn A. Terry, Southeast Ward
City Manager: Lee Qarrity