Winston-Salem operates under a council-manager form of government, as do other large cities in North Carolina. Under this form of government, the city council determines city policies. The city manager is hired by the city council to put those policies into action and to oversee the day-to-day operations of the city.

Read More About the City Manager's Office

2018 Resident Survey results

City of Winston-Salem Vision, Mission, and Values

2019 FEDERAL AND STATE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

In January 2019 the Mayor and City Council adopted a list of legislative priorities at the federal and state levels. At the federal level, these priorities reflect positions that the city supports on a wide variety of issues. The city’s representative in Washington, D.C., will share these priorities with our senators and congresswoman.

The state legislative priorities pertain to local goals that require the approval of the General Assembly. Bills to authorize these goals have been drafted and sent to the legislators who represent Winston-Salem in the hope that they will be introduced and passed during the current session of the General Assembly.

The City Council has organized its legislative goals according to the focus areas outlined in its Strategic Plan, as noted below.

Focus Area: ECONOMIC VITALITY & DIVERSITY

Federal Legislative Priorities:

• Increase federal investment in local efforts on job creation, workforce development training, job placement, and development of business parks.
• Support reentry programs that focus on areas vital to reintegration back into the community, including employment, education, mentoring, substance abuse, and mental health treatment.
• Support Youth Build and City's competitive grant program.
• Create code education and workforce development grant opportunity for teaching low-income children computer science.
• Support programs that fight poverty.
• Expand Opportunity Zones Program or establish method for amending first round designations.
• Fund programs like NEA's ArtWorks that enhance access to arts and humanities at the local level and support competitive grant applications by the City's local organizations and non-profits.
• Set aside funds for African-American historically significant projects.
• Create grant opportunity to help low income children learn career options in the arts.

Focus Area: SAFE AND SECURE COMMUNITY

Federal Legislative Priorities:

• Support federal funding to help local law enforcement agencies with community collaboration programs / community policing; school resource officers; forensic science, computer forensics units, and other crime solving technology enhancements; rape kit testing, processing and prosecuting; initiatives to fight human trafficking; and reducing gun violence.
• Support efforts to pass Criminal Justice Reform.
• Support competitive grant applications from the Winston-Salem Police Department.
• Support passage of the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act.
• Direct more competitive grant funding to career fire departments.
• Direct more competitive grant funding to implementation of previously successful research grants.

State Legislative Priorities:

• Seek authority to provide access to law enforcement recording (e.g., body camera footage) to the City Manager, City Council, and citizen review boards.

Focus Area: LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS

Federal Legislative Priorities:

• Support federal funding for permanent affordable housing, fair housing, programs that assist housing for veterans, and resources to prevent and end chronic homelessness.
• Support programs that help renters move into home ownership
• Support the City's competitive grant applications in areas including: Healthy Homes Lead Abatement, Choice Neighborhoods, and Continuum of Care.
• Fund programs that remove blight and revitalize underserved neighborhoods.
• Support funding to enhance Historic Districts
• Permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), allocate larger portions to the State Assistance Program, and set-aside percentage for urban parks.
• Seek grant funding eligibility for local park and recreation departments to meet Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
• Support funding to combat food deserts and food insecurity by providing access to healthy foods, encouraging community gardens, as well as programs that aid to reduce childhood obesity.
• Support the City’s competitive grant applications in these areas, including:
  • Community Food Projects
  • Farmers Market SNAP Support
  • Farmers Market Promotion Program
  • Local Food Promotion Program
  • Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive
  • Farm Bill Pilot Programs

State Legislative Priorities:

• Seek authority to convey property for the purpose of increasing the supply of affordable housing.
• Support legislation to limit or ban electronic "sweepstakes" machine operations.
• Support research and action on the need for back-up power generation at doctors' offices.

Focus Area: HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Federal Legislative Priorities:

• Assist City with U.S. Army Corps of Engineer negotiations related to Kerr Scott Dam & Reservoir.
• Amend Clean Water Act 303D regulations to levels that do not require expensive upgrades.

Focus Area: QUALITY TRANSPORTATION

Federal Legislative Priorities:

• Support funding and the City's applications for BUILD and Bus and Bus Facilities programs, and connectivity through active transportation such as greenways, strollways, bike paths, and trails.
• Support funding for development in and surrounding the Union Station Intermodal Center.
• Fund bridge replacement programs and give leverage to applicants with private donations.
• Expedite release of Federal Transit Administration funds and support flexibility to use for operations.
• Support opportunities to advance Urban Circulator and technology transformative and innovative public-private partnerships in midsize cities.

Focus Area: SERVICE EXCELLENCE

Federal Legislative Priorities:

• Oppose legislation that imposes unfunded mandates on local government.
• Support programs to treat mental health and oppose efforts to transfer the costs for mental health treatment from the federal government to the local level.

State Legislative Priorities:

• Support legislation to provide for public meetings to take place through electronic media (simultaneous communications). 
• Change the current vacancy selection process to allow for special primary and general elections for vacancies of 12 months or longer.
• Change City elections cycle back on an odd-year cycle.
• Seek authority to impose an additional one-quarter percent (1/4%) local sales tax for municipal use only.
• Request additional options for revenue generation to replace losses caused by changes in State law.