City Information Web site: www cityofws.org May 2007
AC it y Page
City releases proposed
budget for 2007-2008
The city's efforts to control stormwater run-off would be
significantly increased and 10 more detectives would be added
for investigating serious crimes under the $385.3 million budget
that City Manager Lee Garrity sent this week to the City Council.
The budget would enhance these and other city services,
and increase the city's support for the arts, without an increase
in the city property-tax rate of 48.5 cents per $100.
Overall, the budget allocates $273.3 million for operations
and debt service, and $112 million for capital projects. The
proposed budget includes $166.2 million for the General Fund,
which is the city's primary fund and accounts for most tax
supported services.
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 18. By
state law, the council must adopt a budget for 2007-2008 by
June 30. The budget would take effect July 1.
Addressing stormwater
To address flooding in low-lying areas of the city during
heavy rains and improve water quality, the budget would add
four employees to the city's Stormwater Division and calls for
How to participate In the
budget process
Copies of the proposed budget are available for review
at public libraries arid City Hall, 101 N. Main St Suite 117.
Copies of the budget will also be available at
? The City Council's Finance Committee will hold
workshops on the budget May 29, 30 and 31, June
11 and June 12 (if needed). All workshops will start at
4 p.m. in the Council Committee Room (Room 239)
on the second floor of City Hall, except on June 12,
which will start at 2 p.m. 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 public hearing on
the budget at 7:30 p.m. June 7 in the Council
Chamber, Room 230 on the second floor of City Hall.
? The City Council will hold a public hearing on the
budget at 7:30 p.m. June 18 in the Council Chamber,
Room 230 on the second floor of City Hall.
It's time to renew your
yard cart sticker
City residents with yard-waste carts must purchase 2007
2008 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.citvofws.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,
2007 through June 30, 2008 and
must be purchased to have a cart
emptied for the year or any
portion thereof. For more
information call the city,
Sanitation Division at 727-2638.
Naw Historical Marker
A new city historic marker was unveiled May 20 at the
George H. Black House and Brickyard, at 111 Dellabrook
Road In Winston-Salem. The marker honors Black's
contribution to historic preservation. He was a nationally and
Internationally recognized brick maker who made
bricks for Winston-Salem's finest houses.
churches, businesses, and for
restorations in Old Salem and
. Colonial Williamsburg.
L In addition, Black is the the
^ subject of a display this month
at the main branch of the
Forsyth County Public
? Library, at 660 W.
Fifth St.
$11.9 million in capital spending *6r basin studies and
drainage improvement projects. At least $24 million will be
needed for improvement projects over the next 10 years,
Garrity said in his budget message to the City Council.
The capital-spending plan also would set aside $500,000 a
year for the city's share of drainage improvement projects on
private property. Garrity also wants to increase the city's share
of the project cost to 70 percent, up from 60 percent currently,
and to increase the project cap per owner to $50,000, up from
$30,000.
The city's stormwater program is financed out of stormwater
fees assessed to proQgrty owners. The proposed budget calls
for a new, four-tier fee structure for residential customers.
Residential property owners with less than 2,000 square feet
of impervious roof, driveway, sidewalk and patio areas on their
property pay the same stormwater fee of $4.25 a month. The
average homeowtver, with 2,000 to 4,000 square feet of
impervious surface, would pay $4.50 a month. Homeowners
with 4,001 to 6,000 square feet would pay $6.75 a month,
and residents with more than 6,000 square feet would pay $9
a month.
Rates for commercial and institutional customers would
increase to $69.25 per acre of impervious surface to ensure
they contribute the same proportion (57 percent) of
stormwater revenues as before, based on the total acreage of
impervious surfaces in the city. Currently, businesses and
institutions pay $40.60 per impervious acre.
Improving city services
Pubic safety would be enhanced through the addition of 10
detectives and three fire inspectors. The additional detectives
would allow the city to create a homicide cold-case unit, make
more timely contact with robbery victims, conduct trend
analysis of burglaries in specific areas, and increase the use of
computer forensics in the fraud unit.
The three additional fire inspectors would be assigned to
the city's busiest fire stations, relieving the fire fighters at those
stations of their inspection duties so they can concentrate on
training and emergency response.
Traffic congestion would be addressed by the addition of two
traffic signal technicians and plans to Install traffic signals at 37
intersections. About 90 percent of the cost would be financed by
the state and private developers. Two other positions, a
bicycle/ pedestrian coordinator and an engineering technician,
would be added and financed by the county and federal
transportation grants.
Recreation would be enhanced with a proposal to keep
Salem lake open seven days a week, in response to growing use
of the lake and its grounds. The proposed budget also includes
money to replace the golf carts at Winston lake Golf Course.
The budget includes money to increase the city's minimum
City cracking down on roadside signs
Starting June 1, the city will begin enforcing a $50 fine for
each sign that is illegally posted in the right-of-way at street
intersections, along streets, and on trees, posts and utility
poles in the right-of-way.
The only exceptions are directional signs for yard sales
and real-estate sales or open-houses, which may be posted
at noon the Friday before the event and must be removed by
noon the following Monday.
Violators will be served a civil penalty notice with the
assessed fines for each sign violation. For more information,
call Jhe Inspectiqps Division at 727-2628.
Community Appoaranco Awards
seeks nominations
s The Community Appearance Commission is accepting
nominations for the 2007 Community Appearance Awards.
The biennial awards honor places or projects in Winston
Salem that contribute positively on our community's
appearance. Nominations may be made in these categories:
Commercial. Residential, Civic, Landscape, Environmental
Conservation, Historic Preservation, and Individual
Achievement.
The awards are presented to those businesses,
individuals, and community groups who are responsible for
the projects. An entry form may be downloaded at the
Planning Department's Web site at
www.citvofws.orj/Dlanning. All entries must be received by
June 18. The awards ceremony will be held October 16, 2007
For more information call Lynda Schwan at 727-2087.
Help some hungry kids
The city is looking for volunteers to help bring hungry kids
to summer feeding sites at local school.
Volunteers are needed to help transport children to the
21 schools that will serve as feeding sites, and to monitor the
cafeterias. No cooking, serving or cleaning will be involved.
This summer, officials hope to feed 2,000 school-age
children a day, compared with an average of 1,690 last
Proposed 2007-2008 Budget*
Where the money comes from..
Fines ft Forfeiture*
M
Other Resource*
$24.1
Charge* (or Service*
$103.5
Property A Sales Taxes
$123.5
Investment Income
$5.3
Total: $385.3 Million
...and where the money goes.
??mnu?nt EnvhonmjWtol H~,tt
$2.1 / 7
Interdepartmental
?rvtoae
$6.0
Leisure Services
Transportation *21'7
* / Debt Service
Human Resources ' $18.2
$7.0 Public Safety
_ $85.8
?figures show
Total: $385.3 Million in millions
hourly pay to $9 per hour and sets aside $500,000 in market
pay adjustments for selected fire and police positions.
$440,000 would be added to account for classification
changes for certain positions in various departments. All city
employees would be eligible to receive pay raises of up to 3.5
percent, based on performance.
The budget proposes $512,500 in grants to arts and
sciences community agencies. City support to the Arts Council
Inc. would increase $50,000, to $200,000. Grants to SciWorks,
the River Run International Film Festival, the YMCA Youth
Incentive Program and the Experiment in Self Reliance Inc. woul
remain at the same level as this year. The National Black Theatr
Festival, a bi-annual event would receive $150,000, the same
as in 2005. In addition, $25,000 would be allocated to the
Recreation Department for youth programs related to the festiva
Improvements recommended in the six-year capital plan
include $4 million for a new landfill for construction and
demolition debris, $5.5 million for phase 2 of the Police
Department's new training and evidence-storage facility,
$900,000 for continued construction of the Muddy Creek
Greenway, and $54.1 million for reconstructing the R.A.
Thomas Water Treatment Plant.
summer. This Is out of 24,000 students wKcfquaftfy for
reduced or free meals.
Mayor Allen Joines noted that some feeding sites closed
early last summer for lack of children. "Our hope is that this
year, individuals, churches and service organizations will help
us increase participation by providing transportation and
supervision for these children."
The summer feeding program will begin June 18 and end
Aug. 10. This year the program will provide both breakfast
and lunch. Volunteers are needed for both meals. For more
details and to volunteer, go to www.citvofws.org or call the
Mayor's office at 727-2058.
In their memory
A marker for a Winston-Salem native killed during the
Vietnam War will be unveiled during a Memorial Day
ceremony at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The new marker will honor Army 1st Lt Forrest H.
Hollifield, a native of Winston-Salem who was killed in
Vietnam in 1970. Hollifield's family moved to Salisbury while
he was a child and he was inadvertently left out of the
memorial when it was created. His markers will join those
498 other Forsyth County natives who died while at war for
their country. _ ______
This years Memorial Day
observance will begin at
6 p.m. Monday, May 28, in I
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.
Col lection Changes for Memorial Day
Garbage: no change
CurbsMe Recycling: no change
Vard-waate carta: collections will be postponed a day:
Monday collections will be made on Tuesday, etc.
For more Information go to www.cftvoftw.ore or call the
Sanitation Division at 727-2638
The City of Winston -Salem does not dlscrlmlnsts on the baala of race, an, color, age,
national origin, religion or dtosblilty m Its employment opportunities, program*,
services or activities. (TOO number 727-8319)
CttyPag* Is published through the cooperates efforts of the City of
Winston Salem and The Chronhh. Question or oonoem about etty
guwmnant servloes? Cull Ctttzuns lervloo 727-8000.
Mayor Allen Jomea Oty Oouncfl: VMen H. Burtee. Mayor Pro Tempore, Northeest
Ward, Dsn Beaee. Southwest Ward; Robert C. dark. West Wterd; Joycelyn V. Johneon.
East Wsrd; Molly Leifrt. South Ward; Nelson L Maiioy Jr., North Ward; Wtnde Merschei,
Northwest Ward; Evelyn A. Terry, Southeast Wsrd
City Manager Bryce A. Stuart