Winston-Salem City Council Meeting – October 21, 2024

The Winston-Salem City Council met on Monday, October 21, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chamber at 101 North Main Street. Mayor Allen Joines presided with all nine council members present. The meeting lasted approximately 58 minutes and included a consent agenda, six general agenda items (all public hearings), and a public comment period.

Consent Calendar

• C-1: Resolution awarding a purchase order for two side-loading refuse trucks to Carolina Environmental Systems, Inc. for $813,770. Approved unanimously.
• C-2: Resolution awarding a purchase order for four fire trucks to Atlantic Emergency Solutions, Inc. for $5,257,020. Approved unanimously.
• C-4: Approval of the City Council Summary of Minutes from October 7, 2024. Approved unanimously.
• Item C-3 (NASCAR grant) was removed from the consent agenda at the request of Mayor Pro Tempore Adams and considered separately.

Public Comments & Testimony

Fourteen citizens spoke during the public comment period, which lasted 30 minutes plus three additional speakers with council consent.

• Samuel Gavurin (24 Salem Gardens Drive) expressed concerns about property management changes at Salem Gardens, citing substandard apartment conditions and lack of communication. He submitted a list of issues for the record.
• Kavon Sermon (601 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement at Winston-Salem State University) offered condolences to Councilmember Scippio on the loss of her brother, announced WSSU’s Day of Giving raised $401,000, and invited the community to homecoming events. He emphasized WSSU’s economic impact.
• Dan Haller (1300 Oak Street, Greensboro) spoke about human trafficking and illegal massage businesses, urging the council to enforce existing state laws rather than rely solely on local ordinances. He claimed to have eradicated such operations in Greensboro without city assistance.
• Cynthia Herson (1200 Willie Davis Drive) criticized the city’s traffic changes on Cleveland Avenue, saying the long walk to Ashley School is burdensome. She also demanded that developers McCormick Barron and Bloom comply with Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968 by hiring residents from Cleveland Homes. She referenced a book by Dr. Nita Miles on homelessness.
• Olivia Doyle (12 West Devonshire Street) presented three core demands for the BEAR (Behavioral Emergency Assessment and Response) team: increased transparency (publication of meeting times and locations), community oversight board (at least 51% impacted community members), and adequate funding. She requested a public follow-up meeting.
• Taleia Gary (215 Turner Street) reiterated the need for public forums on BEAR and asked about barriers to city-county collaboration on BEAR, Mobile Integrated Health, and county partner services.
• Ghali Hasan (5116 Griffith Road) alleged that Bloom and the Housing Authority denied his company subcontracting opportunities for demolition at Cleveland Avenue Homes. He requested access to the initial development plan, e-verification of workers, and certified payrolls. He held Councilmember Burke accountable as the ward representative.
• Abigail Lightfoot (2129 Storm Canyon Road) supported BEAR oversight demands, requesting a citizen committee to monitor 911 call handling, dispatch criteria, and policies ensuring police are not involved. She stressed follow-up after services.
• A. Pariston (24 Salem Gardens Drive, Apartment A) described displacement during renovations: lack of transportation for children, missing food vouchers, unusable kitchenettes, no utility checks since August, and unresponsive property management.
• T. Willer (24 Salem Gardens Drive) reported safety hazards in her apartment (holes in sink, dangerously hot water) and said management refused repairs. She noted she has been waiting for a four-bedroom unit since 2016 despite others receiving upgrades.
• Vivian Joiner (210 Vintage Avenue) criticized parking rate increases from $0.25 to $1.50 per hour, stating public hearings were held but the city ignored citizen input. She urged council to consider downtown workers and residents.
• Pam Phillips (1423 North Main Street and 1265 Auburn Road) complained about poor 311 service for missed recycling pickups, saying she waited a month and only received help after contacting Mr. Owens directly. She objected to receiving automated closure notices without resolution.
• Doreen Pollock (1401 North Main Street) reported two issues: (1) the city required her Social Security number to restore water service after a pipe burst, unlike the disconnection process; (2) a church on 14th Street is becoming a nuisance with fights, theft, and camping, and she asked the council to declare it a nuisance.
• Derwin Montgomery (2021 Walkertown Road) urged the council to expeditiously adopt and implement affordable housing program guidelines after a decade of discussion. He recommended a 60-90 day pause after the first fund distribution to review demographics and transparency. He noted the Affordable Housing Coalition supported the guidelines.

Discussion Items

• City Manager Update: Patrick Pate introduced new Assistant City Manager Sharon Wojda (formerly of Bend, Oregon, with 25 years in NC). He announced leaf collection starting November 4th, a vacancy on the Civil Service Board, a WSTA bus route survey, strategic planning engagement sessions (dates/locations provided), the International Village Festival on October 26th, and a transportation meeting on October 28th. He thanked city employees deployed to Western NC for Hurricane Helene relief (emergency management, fire, utilities, police, planning).
• C-3 – NASCAR Grant: Mayor Pro Tempore Adams pulled this item to highlight its significance. The resolution authorizes a pass-through of state motorsports assistance grant funds to NASCAR for lighting improvements at Bowman Gray Stadium, which is a city facility. Councilmember MacIntosh noted that the stadium will host a NASCAR event in February 2025, drawing global attention. The resolution was approved unanimously.
• G-1 – Voluntary Annexation (Brookberry Farm, Phase 11): Public hearing with no speakers. Council approved the annexation of approximately 19.765 acres west of Brookberry Farm Circle. Motion by Clark, second by Adams. Unanimous.
• G-2 – Zoning Petition W-3628 (City of Winston-Salem): Change from County MU-S to City MU-S (same zoning, different jurisdiction) for the annexed Brookberry Farm Phase 11 property. Councilmember Clark noted this is the 11th phase of a successful development. Approved unanimously.
• G-3 – Zoning Petition W-3629 (Richard Dillard): Rezone from RS9 to HB-L on 2.70 acres on South Main Street (Southeast Ward). Approved unanimously.
• G-4 – Zoning Petition W-3630 (Green Thumbs, LLC): Rezone from RM18 to PB-L (residential buildings) on 1.14 acres at North Chestnut and East Fourteenth Street (Northeast Ward). Approved unanimously.
• G-5 – Zoning Petition W-3631 (Pfafftown Center, Inc.): Rezone from LB to GB-S on 0.85 acres on Transou Road (Northwest Ward). Approved unanimously.
• G-6 – Zoning Petition W-3632 (K & V, LLC): Rezone from HB and RS9 to GB-S (various retail and service uses) on 2.51 acres at North Cherry Street and Polo Road (North Ward). Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• All consent items (C-1, C-2, C-4) and all general agenda items (C-3, G-1 through G-6) were approved by unanimous votes of 8-0. (Mayor Joines did not vote, consistent with practice unless needed to break a tie.)
• Public comment period concluded after hearing all 14 speakers; the meeting adjourned at 6:58 PM via motion by Mayor Pro Tempore Adams, seconded by Councilmember MacIntosh, vote 8-0.
• Follow-up actions: None specified; citizen requests for BEAR oversight and affordable housing guidelines will presumably be addressed through existing committee processes. The city manager noted upcoming public engagement sessions for strategic planning.