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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Winston-Salem City Council Meeting - May 4, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, May 4, 2026

BodyWinston Salem, North Carolina

SessionMeeting Portal

DateMonday, May 4, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:28:09

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

11:08

You watching WSTV Digital Media.

12:06

Good evening, everyone.

12:07

I'm Alan Joins, the mayor of Winston Salem.

12:09

It's my pleasure to call to order this May 4th meeting of the Winston Some City Council.

12:14

Somebody's got to say it May the fourth.

12:20

Welcome tonight.

12:24

Councilmember Joyner.

12:26

Present.

12:26

Councilmember Clark.

12:27

Here.

12:28

Councilmember Andrew Bowen.

12:29

Here.

12:29

Councilmember Scipio.

12:30

Present.

12:31

Mayor Praetim Adams.

12:32

Here.

12:32

Councilmember Taylor?

12:34

Present.

12:34

Councilmember Hall.

12:35

Present.

12:35

And Councilmember Burke.

12:36

Here.

12:37

Thank you very much.

12:38

Would you please join the city council meeting a moment of silence?

12:51

Thank you.

12:52

Would you please join the city council meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance?

13:14

Thank you very much.

13:15

Our Sergeant at Arms tonight is Lieutenant Joshua Coffey Caffe.

13:19

And our fire marshal tonight is Pete Geyke.

13:22

Thank you for being with us, keeping us safe here in our meeting tonight.

13:34

And it will be replayed on uh tomorrow at nine A.M.

13:37

and again Wednesday night at nine PM.

13:40

Of course, as you know, copies of our agenda as well as videos of previous meetings are always available online on the city's website, and just click on the watch meetings online option.

13:50

Now let's recognize our city manager, Mr.

13:52

Pate for uh presentation.

13:55

Uh thank you, Mayor.

13:56

Uh, a couple of uh general general items.

14:00

First, today marks the start of public service recognition week.

14:04

We just celebrated nationally the first full week of May each year to honor the people who serve our nation as federal, state, local, and tribal government employees.

14:14

This includes all of our tremendous City Winston Salem staff members whose dedication supports the quality of life for our residents every day.

14:28

Both those that are public-facing and also those that are behind the scenes.

14:39

It's my honor to publicly express appreciation for the city, all of the city of Winston Asylum employees, and to reaffirm our shared commitment to sustaining a strong, respected public workforce.

15:02

It's a snapshot of last year's water quality and includes details about the sources of your drinking water, how it is treated, what it contains, and exactly how it compares to standards set by state and federal regulatory agencies.

15:16

For 2025, as in previous years, our treatment facilities have met or surpassed all state and federal require requirements and standards for drinking water quality.

15:28

This accomplishments reflects the quality and dedication of these employees working for you each and every day of the year to make sure we have clean and good drinking water.

15:38

That report is available on our website if anyone wants to read.

15:43

We also want to make sure everyone knows that applications are now open on our city website for the City of Winston Salem University.

15:49

This is an educational program designed to help residents gain a better understanding of the functions and roles of city government and the responsibilities of our various departments.

16:00

This once a year 12-week course is free and meets each week on Thursdays from 6 to 9.

16:07

Classes will be held at City Hall and other city locations.

16:11

Those classes begin on August 20th, but class size is limited, so we encourage people to apply, and you can begin the deadline to apply is on Monday, July 6th.

16:24

A couple of events to make sure that you are aware of in the and the our community.

16:29

The Forsyth County Law Enforcement Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, May 5th, tomorrow at 10 a.m.

16:36

at two cities church, located at 101 or 1001 North Patterson Avenue in Winston Salem.

16:44

The service will honor the lives and legacy of local law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

16:50

This annual event is a collaborative effort among all law enforcement agencies in Forsyth County.

16:56

The service is open to the public, and lunch will be provided for all attendees following the ceremony.

17:03

The North Carolina Department, another event, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the City of Winston Salem are proposing to construct a new sidewalk along the east and west sides of Jonestown Road, which is State Road 1122 from U.S.

17:17

421 to Country Club Road.

17:20

The purpose of this project is to improve pedestrian safety by completing missing segments of sidewalk along both sides of Jonestown Road.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Affordable Housing████████████████████████24%

Historic Preservation███████████████████19%

Budget Equity Analysis███████████████████19%

Procedural█████████9%

Public Engagement███████7%

Public Safety███████7%

Fiscal Sustainability██████6%

Community Engagement███3%

Engineering And Infrastructure███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Winston-Salem City Council Meeting - May 4, 2026

The Winston-Salem City Council met on Monday, May 4, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included the adoption of consent agenda items, public hearings on four demolitions, a presentation on affordable housing projects, and the City Manager's presentation of the proposed Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget. All votes were unanimous (8-0) with all nine members present.

Honorariums

H-1: Resolution declaring May 2026 as Historic Preservation Month in Winston-Salem. C.J. Idol, chair of the Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission, accepted the resolution and spoke about the commission's work, including the historic marker program, partnerships with communities, and staff accomplishments (only three certificates of appropriateness denied in 2025). The resolution passed unanimously.

Consent Calendar

C-1 through C-19 (except C-5 through C-11): Routine approvals including:
- C-1: 2026 Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Memorial Walk of Fame inductees.
- C-2 & C-3: Rescinding demolition ordinances for 1120 E. 24th Street and 1427 E. 23rd Street (Northeast Ward).
- C-4: Amendment to Transforming Urban Residential Neighborhoods (TURN) Program eligibility requirements.
- C-12: Agreement with Forsyth County to share 2025 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funds ($249,047).
- C-13: Sole source purchase order for Live911 Platform Renewal with HigherGround, Inc. ($114,000).
- C-14: Design contract for Old Greensboro Road Bridge Replacement with RK&K Engineering ($733,061.85).
- C-15: Construction contract for Sprague Street Recreation Center renovations with MWM Construction, Inc. ($517,440).
- C-16: Early termination of lease and conveyance of Fourth and Church Parking Deck to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
- C-17: Lease agreement with T-Bird Enterprises, LLC for the Twin City Thunderbirds.
- C-18: Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget ordinance amendments.
- C-19: Approval of City Council Summary of Minutes from April 20, 2026.
- The balance of the consent agenda (excluding C-5 through C-11) was approved unanimously on a single motion.

Discussion Items

Affordable Housing Projects (C-5 through C-11): At Mayor Pro Tempore Adams' request, Michael Blair, Director of Housing Development, presented a summary of seven affordable housing resolutions. The combined projects add 358 multifamily rental units (28 at Vespers Apartments for elderly residents, 60 at Sage Pointe, 62 at 600 Peters Creek, 148 at Cornerstone at Salem, 60 at Zachary Pointe) and 22 homeownership units (14 by Habitat for Humanity Forsyth on Urban Street, 8 by Prosperity Alliance in Happy Hill). Total city investment: approximately $3.5 million. Blair noted that tax credit pricing at $0.82 on the dollar is creating gaps; future projects may be affected if prices drop further. Councilmember Joiner highlighted that while these 380 units do not meet the overall goal, they significantly increase the housing stock. The items were approved unanimously under a single motion.
G-1: Demolition at 633 Mulberry Street (South Ward): Public hearing held. Property owner Tammy Watson requested a 60-day extension to allow her contractor time to prepare; staff clarified that if approved, she would receive 90 days before enforcement. Councilmember Joiner expressed reluctance but noted the neighborhood's need for improvement. Approved unanimously.
G-2: Demolition at 844 Rich Avenue (East Ward): No public speakers. Approved unanimously.
G-3: Demolition at 1457 Hattie Avenue (Northeast Ward): No public speakers. Approved unanimously.
G-4: Demolition at 4541 Indiana Avenue (North Ward): No public speakers. Approved unanimously.
G-5: City Manager’s Presentation of FY 2026-27 Proposed Budget: City Manager Pat Pate presented a "no-frills" budget focused on maintaining service levels, strategic investments, and addressing rising costs. Key points:
- Total General Fund increase: 3.1% (about 5% on an apples-to-apples basis).
- Proposed property tax increase: 2.6 cents (from 56.7 to 59.3 cents per $100 valuation), a 4.6% increase; for the average homeowner, this equates to less than $5.50 per month.
- Recommended a half-cent dedicated to affordable housing and unhoused services (0.5 cents of the 2.6 cent increase).
- Water/sewer rates: 5% increase (about $3/month for average residential user).
- Solid waste disposal fee: $1 increase; stormwater fee: 4% increase.
- Inflation stress: Since 2019, consumer inflation rose 30%, while city costs for a police officer rose 43%, fire trucks 96%, garbage trucks ~60%, and building construction 86%. Property tax base growth (adjusted for revaluation) was only 17% over the same period.
- The city has approved nearly 1,000 units of affordable housing in the last two years (including tonight's actions).
- Employee compensation: Aim to be a regional employer of choice; health care costs are a major driver.
- Infrastructure: Resurfacing funding maintained at $7.2 million, but ideal need is $12 million to achieve a 30-year cycle.
- Budget work sessions scheduled for May 12 and May 14, public hearing on May 18, final workshop May 21, anticipated adoption June 1.
- Councilmember Hall asked about community engagement opportunities; Pate confirmed multiple pop-ups and online availability. Councilmember Clark noted the scrutiny from Raleigh and encouraged council input.
Councilmember Comments: Councilmember Clark announced two new housing projects in the West Ward (Meadowlark area, approximately 350 homes) that do not require council approval due to existing zoning.

Key Outcomes

Consent Agenda (excluding C-5 to C-11): Approved unanimously (8-0).
C-5 to C-11 (affordable housing financing): Approved unanimously (8-0).
G-1 (633 Mulberry St demolition): Approved unanimously (8-0) with 90 days for owner to demolish.
G-2 (844 Rich Ave demolition): Approved unanimously (8-0).
G-3 (1457 Hattie Ave demolition): Approved unanimously (8-0).
G-4 (4541 Indiana Ave demolition): Approved unanimously (8-0).
Budget Presentation: No vote taken; the proposed budget was presented for council review and upcoming work sessions.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:28 PM.

Meeting Transcript

You watching WSTV Digital Media. Good evening, everyone. I'm Alan Joins, the mayor of Winston Salem. It's my pleasure to call to order this May 4th meeting of the Winston Some City Council. Somebody's got to say it May the fourth. Welcome tonight. Councilmember Joyner. Present. Councilmember Clark. Here. Councilmember Andrew Bowen. Here. Councilmember Scipio. Present. Mayor Praetim Adams. Here. Councilmember Taylor? Present. Councilmember Hall. Present. And Councilmember Burke. Here. Thank you very much. Would you please join the city council meeting a moment of silence? Thank you. Would you please join the city council meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance? Thank you very much. Our Sergeant at Arms tonight is Lieutenant Joshua Coffey Caffe. And our fire marshal tonight is Pete Geyke. Thank you for being with us, keeping us safe here in our meeting tonight. And it will be replayed on uh tomorrow at nine A.M. and again Wednesday night at nine PM. Of course, as you know, copies of our agenda as well as videos of previous meetings are always available online on the city's website, and just click on the watch meetings online option. Now let's recognize our city manager, Mr. Pate for uh presentation. Uh thank you, Mayor. Uh, a couple of uh general general items. First, today marks the start of public service recognition week. We just celebrated nationally the first full week of May each year to honor the people who serve our nation as federal, state, local, and tribal government employees. This includes all of our tremendous City Winston Salem staff members whose dedication supports the quality of life for our residents every day. Both those that are public-facing and also those that are behind the scenes. It's my honor to publicly express appreciation for the city, all of the city of Winston Asylum employees, and to reaffirm our shared commitment to sustaining a strong, respected public workforce. It's a snapshot of last year's water quality and includes details about the sources of your drinking water, how it is treated, what it contains, and exactly how it compares to standards set by state and federal regulatory agencies. For 2025, as in previous years, our treatment facilities have met or surpassed all state and federal require requirements and standards for drinking water quality. This accomplishments reflects the quality and dedication of these employees working for you each and every day of the year to make sure we have clean and good drinking water. That report is available on our website if anyone wants to read. We also want to make sure everyone knows that applications are now open on our city website for the City of Winston Salem University. This is an educational program designed to help residents gain a better understanding of the functions and roles of city government and the responsibilities of our various departments. This once a year 12-week course is free and meets each week on Thursdays from 6 to 9. Classes will be held at City Hall and other city locations.

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