Winston-Salem Residents Will Get A Chance To Comment On Proposed Bond Package

Winston-Salem is proposing another bond referendum this fall to pay for improvements around the city. Residents will have a chance to provide feedback on the proposed package during a series of community meetings.

The city wants to borrow $122 million to fund several projects. Those include updates to more parks and playgrounds, new public safety facilities and affordable housing and revitalization in the East Ward.

“We still have a lot of the roads in the city that need some attention,” says Ben Rowe, assistant city manager for Winston-Salem. “We have potholes and cracking and maintenance needs, and so the area that would receive the largest part of the allocation is streets and sidewalks.”

Rowe says paying for the bonds will come with a 4-cent tax increase. That equals about $60 more per year for the owner of a $150,000 home.

If voters approve the measure in November, the tax increase would go into effect in July of next year.

City officials say the bond package will help make a dent in a large pot of unfunded capital needs. In 2014, they were estimated at around $700 million. That same year, voters passed five bond issues totaling nearly $140 million for improvements.

Rowe says the improvements are needed to keep up with population growth and with larger cities in the state that have passed similar bond issues in recent years.

The first community meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 21, at 6:00 p.m. in the Russell Community Center on Carver School Road.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news