Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utility Commission

Members

From left to right:
Front Row: Allan Younger, Harold E. Day, Yvonne H. Hines, L. Wesley Curtis, Jr.
Middle Row: Randall S. Tuttle, Tom Griffin, Donald R. Stewart (term expired), Chris Parker
Back Row: James Ruffin (term expired), Duane Long, Hugh W. Jernigan
Not pictured: Charles Wilson

Method of Appointment

Five members are appointed by the City Council upon the recommendation of the Mayor. Five members are appointed by the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners. The chairman is appointed jointly by the Mayor and the Chairman of the Forsyth County Commissioners and may be appointed to no more than five terms. No member can be appointed to more than two terms of five years each. No member of the Board of County Commissioners or the City Council may serve as the Chair or a member of the Utility Commission while actively serving as an elected official.

Number of Members

Eleven

Terms of Office

Five years 

Chief Staff Person

Damon Dequenne
Assistant City Manager
Phone: 336-747-6866

Current Membership - City Council Appointments

Current Membership - County Appointments

Current Membership - Chair

Special Notes

The term of office for the chair is two years, with a maximum of five terms. The remaining ten members serve staggered five-year terms.

Committees

The Utility Commission has three committees:

• Finance Committee
• Operations Committee
• Planning and Policy Committee

Authority for Creation 

The authority for establishing the Utility Commission is North Carolina General Statutes 160-A, Article 20. The Commission was created by an agreement between the City of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County on April 20, 1976.

Purpose/Function

The Commission is the policy-making board for all water and sewage facilities operated by the City, having the same authority and responsibility as the City or the County to fix rates, charges, and assessments, and to provide for improvements and extensions to such facilities, with the exception that the Commission has no authority to issue bonds or incur any debt without prior approval of the City Council.

The Utility Commission also finances its own capital improvements through fees and revenue bonds that are paid off with income from the water and sewer system. The Utility Commission does not have authority to issue bonds or debt without the approval of the City Council.

In addition to overseeing operations, the Utility Commission is also responsible for setting appropriate rates and extension policies. All operations are financed through a separate utility fund.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities

The Utility Commission oversees Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities, which provides high quality water, wastewater and solid waste services to approximately 361,000 residential, business and industrial users in its service area through responsible use of resources, reliable delivery and stewardship of the environment. It operates one landfill for solid waste, another for construction and demolition debris, and two yard waste facilities. Three water treatment plants have a combined capacity of up to 91 million gallons a day, drawn from the Yadkin River and Salem Lake. In 2020, these plants treated and pumped a total of 12.9 billion gallons of water that met or surpassed all state and federal standards for drinking water quality. The water distribution system includes more than 2,300 miles of water distribution mains, 14 water tanks and seven pumping stations.

The department also operates two wastewater treatment plants with a combined treatment capacity of up to 51 million gallons per day. The collection system includes nearly 1,800 miles of sewer lines, 49 lift stations and one chemical odor control station. The plants treated 14.2 billion gallons of wastewater in 2020. A workforce of 380 employees operates and maintains WSFC Utilities, which receives no tax revenue and is supported sustainably by user fees charged for water, wastewater and solid waste services.