Mayor Allen Joines, City Of Winston-Salem | Mayor Allen Joines Official Facebook
Mayor Allen Joines, City Of Winston-Salem | Mayor Allen Joines Official Facebook
The $658.9 million budget proposed by City Manager Pat Pate for the fiscal year 2024-2025, which begins on July 1, was approved at the council’s June 17 meeting. The budget includes pay increases for city employees and raises the city’s minimum wage to $18 per hour to improve retention and fill crucial vacancies.
The budget allocates $485.8 million for operations, $63.7 million for debt service, and $109.4 million for capital improvements. The property tax rate will increase by 3.9 cents per $100 of value to support basic city services.
Additionally, the council had previously approved an increase of 2.5 cents per $100 of value to enhance transit services in the community, including reestablished evening and weekend hours.
In his budget message, Pate emphasized that the city would focus on completing existing projects before initiating new ones in the coming year. Strategic priorities identified by residents in a community survey include crime reduction and improvements to public transit, street maintenance, housing, and community appearance.
“Without a recent revaluation of property, we do not see the increases in assessment values that our sister cities are enjoying, which have an impact on our tax rate,” he said. “There is also considerable slowing in our organic revenue growth which does not cover the significant growth in the cost of providing services.”
Pate noted that the average homeowner in Winston-Salem would pay $1,820 annually in taxes and fees compared to $2,300 to $2,500 in Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, and Greensboro.
The city's primary organizational challenge is attracting and retaining highly qualified employees. The proposed budget includes pay adjustments totaling over $20 million annually and will be effective with the first full pay period in October 2024. The city's minimum wage will be raised to $18 an hour starting October 2024.
Stormwater fees will increase by 8 percent effective January 1, 2025. Water and sewer rates will rise by 7 percent on July 1, 2024, resulting in a bi-monthly increase of $7.27 for the average residential customer.
The motor vehicle fee will double from $15 to $30 per vehicle. The annual revenue generated from this fee—$2.8 million—will be used for street resurfacing.
For more information about the budget: CityOfWS.org/Budget.
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