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City Edition - June 2014

Posted: Monday, June 2, 2014
Department: City Edition Newsletter

City Edition June 2014

$506.9 Million Budget Proposed for 2014-2015
Utility Commission Approves Rate Increases
City Partners with Arts Council to Raise Money for Centennial Art
All City Pools Opening June 13 
Human Relations Wins Support for Community Integration Initiative
Trevor M. Minor Hired as Budget and Evaluation Director

$506.9 Million Budget Proposed for 2014-2015

City services would remain at the same level and the city property-tax rate would increase one cent to make up for a loss in the tax base resulting from a new state law under the $506.9 million budget that City Manager Lee Garrity has recommended to Mayor Allen Joines and the City Council.

The proposed budget allocates $305.1 million for operations, $35.5 million for debt service and $166.4 million for capital improvements. The property tax rate would be 54 cents for every $100 of value.

The City Council’s Finance Committee will begin reviewing the budget. The council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on the budget on June 16. By state law, the council must adopt a budget for 2014-2015 by June 30. The budget would take effect July 1.

How to participate in the budget process

Copies of the proposed budget will be available for review at public libraries, city recreation centers and City Hall, 101 N. Main St. Suite 30. The proposed budget is also posted online. Citizens can phone in comments about the budget on the city’s Citizen Feedback line, 734-1400 or submit comments through a form on the city website.

Proposed budget information and comment form

Utility Commission Approves Rate Increases

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utility Commission approved increases today in water and sewer rates, utility service base charges, and disposal rates at yard waste facilities and the construction and demolition landfill to support its $85.4 million budget for fiscal year 2014-2015. The new rates will take effect Oct. 1.

The commission approved a 4.5 percent increase in water rates and a 6.7 percent increase in sewer rates. Additionally, the monthly base charges for water and sewer service (flat fees charged regardless of usage) would increase $1.24.

With the increases, the monthly bill for the average household in Winston-Salem using 4,500 gallons of water will be $39.44 or $1.30 a day, or 10 cents more a day than the $1.20 that the average household currently pays. 

Rate increase information

City Partners with Arts Council to Raise Money for Centennial Art

The city and the Arts Council are partnering on a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to enhance the public art the city commissioned last year in honor of Winston-Salem’s centennial.

The campaign is seeking to raise $6,000 and is being conducted through power2give.org, a crowdfunding website site for the arts. The Arts Council will match every dollar donated through the campaign, which will run May 16 through August 15.

To learn more about the centennial public art and to donate, go to power2give.org and use the “Choose Your State” and “Choose Your Community” drop-down menus. 

Centennial Art fundraising

children in the pool

All City Pools Opening June 13 

All city pools will open for the summer on Friday, June 13. New this year are the water “spraygrounds” at Mineral Springs and Happy Hills pools – similar to the water playgrounds at Bolton and Kimberley Park pools, but built on a concrete pad and not in a shallow pool of water. To ensure safety, parents should swim with their children. All pool patrons must obey the lifeguards. Patrons entering the pool must be wearing appropriate swim wear with a liner or have it with them to be admitted into the pool area.

All pools will offer free children’s swim lessons starting June 16. Sign-ups will be June 14 at 10 a.m. at each pool. Free adult swim lessons are also available at all swimming pools. Contact the pool you want to attend for details. All pools will offer a Babes in Arms program for children five and under starting June 21. Contact the pool register. The pools also have swim teams for children 17 and under, and offer diving instruction.

Non-swimmers less than 48 inches tall will be required to wear life jackets in the pools. Life jackets are not required in kiddie pools and the water play areas at Kimberley Park and Bolton Park pools. Learn More.

Pools and Aquatics calendar

Human Relations Wins Support for Community Integration Initiative

The Human Relations Department has won a Building Integrated Communities in-kind grant from UNC Chapel Hill to lead a city-wide effort to coordinate the efforts of community organizations that serve the Hispanic population.

The grant will provide the department in-kind support over the next two years with needs assessment, planning and facilitating community workshops, surveying successful efforts in other communities and more. Read More.

Trevor M. Minor Hired as Budget and Evaluation Director

City Manager Lee Garrity has appointed Trevor M. Minor to be the city’s new budget and evaluation director.  Minor, who previously served as a senior budget analyst in the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, has more than ten years of experience in state and local government budgeting. Before working for DENR he served as a budget analyst with Durham, Wake, and Mecklenburg counties. He also has served as a management analyst in the Office of State Budget and Management.

“I am excited about the hiring of Mr. Minor as the city’s new budget and evaluation director,” Garrity said. “His breadth of experience at the state and local levels will be a valuable asset to the Budget and Evaluation Office and the city organization, as we continue our efforts in performance management.”

Minor has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in public administration from North Carolina Central University. He is a member of the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association and the Government Finance Officers Association. He will have an annual salary of $85,500. 

life jackets at city pools

City Edition June 2014 

For more information about these stories, or to report problem or request services, call CityLink at (336) 727-8000 or 311 in Winston-Salem.

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City Government

Mayor
Allen Joines

City Council
Vivian H. Burke, Mayor Pro Tempore
Denise D. Adams
Dan Besse
Robert C. Clark
Molly Leight
Jeff MacIntosh
Derwin L. Montgomery
James Taylor, Jr.

City Manager
Lee D. Garrity
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