Winston-Salem City Council Special Meeting - November 17, 2025: Calendar, CSB Rules, and Manager Updates
Winston-Salem City Council Special Meeting - November 17, 2025: Calendar, CSB Rules, and City Manager Updates
The special meeting of the Winston-Salem City Council convened at 4:00 PM on November 17, 2025, with Mayor Allen Joines presiding. The council approved the 2026 meeting calendar, reviewed proposed Civil Service Board (CSB) appeal hearing rules, and received updates from the city manager on noise ordinance revisions and downtown holiday parking relief.
Discussion Items
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Consideration of the 2026 City Council Meeting Calendar (G-1): The council considered a draft calendar that removed the International Black Theater Festival recess and added two town hall dates. Councilmember Scippio moved to approve, seconded by Councilmember Clark. Councilmember Hall asked about the Monday after July 4, and staff clarified that the meeting could be canceled if committee business is light. The motion passed unanimously.
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Adoption of Civil Service Board Appeal Hearing Rules (G-2): City Attorney Camille French presented the rules, noting that staff and the CSB are aligned on 95–99% of the document. Key points of discussion:
- Definition of "transfer against their will": Staff recommended a narrower definition (only if it is a disciplinary demotion) to avoid interfering with day-to-day operations, while the board had proposed broader language covering punitive reassignments.
- Attendance requirement: Changed from "may" to "shall" for consistency with existing city board/commission rules (65% attendance).
- Closed sessions for appeals hearings: Added to protect personnel privacy, though other CSB meetings remain open.
- New evidence: Staff recommended that newly introduced material evidence be remanded to the manager’s level, not heard by the CSB directly.
- Exclusion of evidence: Decided by majority vote of the board rather than solely by the chairperson.
- Legal representation: The city attorney may serve as legal advisor to the CSB only if the board agrees in writing, as per statute.
- Witnesses: The CSB shall not call witnesses or gather evidence on behalf of either party; the burden rests with the appealing employee.
- Amendments: Board-approved rule changes must be presented to the council for adoption, consistent with statute. Councilmember Clark asked about closed session procedures; Councilmember Scippio asked about recording/streaming; Councilmember Hall asked about the rationale for the chairperson’s role in evidence exclusion. No vote was taken; the item will return for a formal vote in December 2025.
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City Manager Update: Noise Ordinance Revision: Ben (staff) reported that the city is surveying noise ordinances from other North Carolina cities and will convene a group from planning, police, and economic development to recommend comprehensive, citywide standards. The aim is to provide objective decibel limits, compliance measurement, and consequences. Councilmember Hall requested that resident feedback be incorporated and that communication continue. Staff noted that decibel testing has been conducted and that many everyday sounds exceed proposed limits. Councilmember Joiner had no questions.
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City Manager Update: Downtown Holiday Parking Relief: The city manager announced plans to suspend on-street parking requirements between Thanksgiving and New Year’s to support downtown businesses. Councilmember Andree-Bowen asked whether this applies only to on-street parking or also to city parking decks; the manager confirmed it is primarily on-street. Council concurred with moving forward.
Key Outcomes
- The 2026 City Council meeting calendar was approved unanimously.
- The Civil Service Board appeal hearing rules were discussed but not voted on; they will be brought back for a formal vote in December 2025.
- The city manager will proceed with developing a revised noise ordinance and implementing downtown holiday parking relief.
Meeting Transcript
You're watching WSTV Digital Media. Did you get your thing approved? Yeah. You're Hallelujah. Where is the charge? Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Alan Joins, Mayor Westalo, and it's a pleasure to call to order the special meeting of the West of Sam City Council and ask the city clerk to call the role, please. Councilmember joyner. Present. Councilmember Clark. Here. Councilmember Andrew Bowen. Here. Councilmember Scipio. Present. Mayor Pro Tim Adams. Councilmember Taylor. Present. Councilmember Hall. Present. And Councilmember Burke here. Thank you, everyone, and thank you, uh Mayor Pro Tim for joining us via Zoom today. I'll try not to I'll try to watch for you thing there. So uh maybe we have uh item G one, please. Item G one, consideration of the twenty twenty-six city council meeting calendar. Thank you, Mayor. Um we we uh took the couple of items that council asked about last time, um, taken off the international uh Black Theater Festival, as that's not necessarily a council event, just want to make sure you were aware that was in that recess period and created the two uh two town hall dates, and otherwise it's uh the same as you had last time. Uh so go ahead and get those dates booked if council desires. Do we need a motion on those tonight to approve the calendar? So move. Thank you, Councilman Scipio. Second by Councilmore Clark. Any discussion? Uh discussion. Yes, sir, Councilmember Hall. Thank you, Mayor Joins. I just wanted to make sure because I hadn't been able to talk to different uh council members. There is a um Monday, right after the July fourth holiday, just want to make sure everybody plans to be back in town that Monday, and I'm not showing up by myself while everybody is recovering from fireworks, so that seems to be okay. We'll be back. Okay. Uh-huh. But just to provide a little context on on that one. Typically, as I've mentioned, our our meeting schedule generally goes from committees to the the second meeting of the month, which has our public hearings and public comment period, then to the first meeting of the following month, which usually take up the items that were on the council committee agendas. Uh so that using that process is the way the calendar is laid out. When we get into the end of those June meetings, if there is not a lot of committee business that needs to be carried over, then there's a potential for council to take some of those meetings that information that has to be dealt with in the end of June, and then determine whether you actually need that first meeting in July. But it is on the calendar to follow our normal schedule. Oh Mayor Pratim, do you have a comment? Okay. Anyone opposed? No.
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