Winston-Salem Seeks Community Input On Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds

Winston-Salem City Council is asking for public input on how to spend federal coronavirus recovery funding. The money was included in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that Congress passed in March.

Winston-Salem will receive more than $55 million to help recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first batch of those funds will be issued around May 11.

The federal government lays out some guidelines for how that money can be spent. For example, it can be used to provide assistance to local businesses and nonprofits, or for water, sewer, or broadband projects. But it can't be used for things like reducing a tax rate or depositing it into a pension fund. 

The city of Winston-Salem will hold a public input session via Zoom on Wednesday, April 28 to get the community's feedback.

“We want to be very transparent with the public about how much money we received and how we are planning to use the funds," says Assistant City Manager Ben Rowe. "There are a lot of details that have to be worked out to figure out how we would implement any programs.”

Rowe says speakers can sign up online an hour before the meeting begins, which is 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Public input can also be submitted through an online form on the city's website.

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