The General Government Committee of the Winston-Salem City Council met on February 9, 2026, at 4:00 PM, chaired by Mayor Pro Tempore Denise D. Adams. The meeting included action on proposed noise ordinance amendments, code updates for the Urban Food Policy Council, and a Unified Development Ordinance text amendment. Informational briefings were received on the winter storm homeless response and a list of properties proposed for demolition. All four committee members were present and voted unanimously on the action items. The meeting adjourned at 4:52 PM.
Meeting today. I hope everybody is uh snowed out right now. Uh thank again, I want to thank the staff and the employees of Winston Salem for everything that you all did the past couple of weeks or so. Uh again, I've lived here all my life. And I remember the snows of the 60s where it snowed every Wednesday, like two feet and whatever. But I've never seen anything like this scenario this set up. It was like a perfect storm. It was ice, it was a little bit of rain, it was sleek, and then we got the snow. And when we got the snow, everybody still thinks that we can get out and our employees can plow and put Brian down. And if it's they don't, they do but don't want to hear about the chemical reaction. They don't want to hear about that. You can't plow ice effectively. And then when the snow came and fell on top of the ice, you know, we were again in a place. But again, I want the public and everyone to know that we thank you, thank you, thank you. See, unlike everybody else, I was at the house. I was good. You know, I tell people the much groceries is everybody bought. Nobody should have been wanting to come out the house. But uh again, I'm just hoping that uh the next week we see some temps in the 50s and 60s, so we can go ahead and melt the snow because I'm a country girl, and I know my folk told us if snow lay around long enough, you're gonna see some more to go with it. So uh I see the forecast as saying possibility uh next week, but uh we're gonna hope and pray that that we don't get it. Again, thank you all so much. Today we have our general and consent agenda. We have one consent item, and we have uh five general agenda items. Uh I would like to know are there any items besides the consent of one that you want to pull? And if not, may I have a motion to approve that one item? Move to approve. Is it moved and properly seconded? All those in favor, let it be known by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, let it be known by saying that. Thank you very much. And then passes. Madam Clerk, would you please read the first item? Item G1 update on neighborhood services, homeless initiatives. Ms. Floyd, our angel handling it. I know you'll you you've had a busy past two and a half, three weeks, but again, thank you too. Thank you. So um, good evening, Sharika Floyd Neighborhood Services. I am here to give you an update on the winter storm response that we have for neighborhood services for our unhoused population. Um, so January 23rd, Friday, January 23rd to February 2, Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026. We provided shelter services to 422 422 individuals. Um, this was at locations, um, Samaritan Ministries, including their Project Cornerstone, Bethesda Center for the Homeless, Salvation Army's family shelter, and then in partnership with the dwelling, we opened the um winter shelters located at the locations to annex to St. Timothy, New Story Church, another family shelter, the dwelling, and then a warming center. Um, and that totaled 422 individuals, and then our domestic violence shelter ran at capacity at 95% as well, and those numbers aren't included here. That was a total of three out of the four rooms that they have. And then um, in addition to that, we would just like to thank the Bear team, Samaritan Ministries, Emergency Management, and the Winston. Salem Police Department. Samaritan Ministry served 1,222 meals during the storm period, an average of 305 per day. They kept those services going for shelter breakfast, community lunch, and shelter dinner.