Winston-Salem Budget: Property Tax Increase And Pay Bumps For City Workers

The Winston-Salem City Council has approved a new budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. It includes a raise for city employees.

Winston-Salem Council members voted 4 to 3 on Monday to approve the $482.4 million budget. City leaders say the new plan will address two needs. One is sustaining and improving public transportation. That includes adding more bus routes at night and on weekends.

And the second will make salaries for city employees more competitive.

According to a recent study, the average starting pay in Winston-Salem for municipal workers is about 8 percent less than comparable cities.

“They've raised the minimum wage to $11.25 cents an hour for all city employees," says Patrice Toney, Winston-Salem's budget and evaluation director.

“On top of that, there's been a huge problem trying to retain and recruit police officers,” she says.

City leaders say the budget includes retention and base pay increases for police officers.

The raises will come at a cost, however. Homeowners will see an increase in the tax rate under the new plan. It amounts to an additional 1.24 cents. With the increase, the new rate will be 59.74 cents for every $100 of taxable property.

“This was also a re-evaluation year and there was additional growth in the property tax base, so a lot of those resources will help us be able to support these critical needs,” says Toney.

The budget also includes a fare hike for Trans-Aid, which provides transportation services for riders with disabilities. It will go from 50 cents to $1.

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