Public Asked To Weigh In On Winston-Salem City Council Structure

City leaders are asking members of the public to give their input on potential changes to how Winston-Salem's City Council is elected.

Last year, Winston-Salem's Local Governance Study Commission was formed to explore alternative city government structures in response to the state legislature's interest in the matter. 

Since then, Scott Tesh, the city's director of performance and accountability, says the commission has been looking at how other cities elect their local leaders and talking to experts.

Some of the options on the table include changing term lengths and reducing the size of the council. Tish says at this week's three public meetings, there will be various information stations, each one corresponding to a potential change. 

“And each one of those stations is designed for someone to come in [and] if they have questions, for staff to answer them, to tell them what the options could be,” he says. 

Attendees will be encouraged to fill out a survey with their ideas. Those who can't attend can fill out an input form on the city's website. Surveys will then be given to the commission for further study. 

The commission is set to present its recommendations in the coming months. Any potential changes would not be implemented in time for this year's election.

Meetings will be held:

• Tuesday, Jan. 28, 6 p.m., Carver High School, 3545 Carver School Road
• Wednesday, Jan. 29, 6 p.m., Easton Elementary School, 734 Clemmonsville Circle
• Thursday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m., South Fork Elementary School, 4332 Country Club Road