Winston Salem/Forsyth County will greatly benefit from the recently signed state budget. Our General Assembly approved a two-year state budget on Thursday November 18th, and sent it to Governor Cooper’s desk. The governor’s signature codified the budget. This budget is 100% aligned with Greater Winston Salem, Inc’s current and previous legislative agendas. We are thrilled that our elected leadership in the General Assembly heard our needs, and delivered on the promises they made to our community. In particular, we are grateful for Rep. Lambeth, who served as a top-writer for the bill, for his mindfulness of the needs of the state and Forsyth County. We are also thankful for Senator Lowe’s willingness to cross the aisle in search of answers for our region. Those types of efforts truly made this bill bipartisan.

The House voted to pass it 101-10, and the Senate passed the measure with a 41-7 count. North Carolina was the last state in the country without an enacted budget in place for this year. In fact, North Carolina hasn’t had a comprehensive budget in place since 2019. However, this budget is well worth the wait and delivers a lot of great things for our community.

In total, more than $300 million will go to entities in Forsyth County.

FORSYTH COUNTY ITEMS IN CONFERENCE BUDGET 2021-2023 

  • City of Winston-Salem – Local Government Infrastructure Grant • $900,000 
  • City of Winston-Salem – Water & Sewer • $3,100,000 
  • City of Winston-Salem – Affordable Housing • $10,000,000 
  • Lewisville Township – Local Government Infrastructure Grant • $100,000 
  • Town of Kernersville – Local Government Infrastructure Grant • $400,000 
  • Smith Reynolds Airport • $23,000,000 
  • AeroX Grant-in-Aid – Drone Program at Smith Reynolds Airport • $5,000,000 
  • Lewisville Volunteer Fire Department – New Engine • $650,000 
  • Vienna Fire Department, Inc. – New Engine • $821,330 
  • Clemmons Fire Dept, Inc. – Equipment grant • $821,330 
  • Town of Kernersville for Kernersville Fire Department – Equipment Grant • $200,000 
  • Walkertown Fire Department, Inc. – New Engine • $639,000 
  • Town of Kernersville – Economic Development • $250,000 
  • Town of Walkertown – Economic Development • $250,000 
  • Town of Kernersville Land Acquisition • $1,000,000 
  • Walkertown Water & Sewer project – Sewer extension along Sullivantown Rd. • $80,000 
  • Fire Department Grant Opportunities • Base Allocation Grant – a base of $10,000 awarded to help mitigate the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the department’s ability to conduct fundraising and generate revenue. 
    • Supplemental Grant – up to $35,000 to purchase equipment, make capital improvements, and other related purposes 
    • Emergency Reserve Grant – up to $50,000 for equipment purchases, payment of highway use taxes on those purchases, costs of putting property acquired from the Department of Defense through the Firefighter Property (FFP) and federal Excess Property (FEPP) programs in service, or capital expenditures necessary to provide fire protection services. 
  • Motorsport Industry Support Grant Opportunity • Bowman Gray Stadium can apply for grant funding through the Department of Commerce to offset negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • Domestic Violence Court Coordinator • $50,000 (NR) 
  • One (1) Additional Full-Time Magistrate • Effective January 1, 2022 
  • One (1) Additional Superior Court Judge • District 21B Residency Requirement 
    • Elected November 2022, Seat Effective January 1, 2023 
  • Forsyth County – Child Welfare/Behavioral Health Pilot Project • Project to provide easier access to comprehensive, trauma-informed health services for children in foster care between DHHS and local LME/MCO (Partners) 
  • Crisis Behavioral Health Program Joint Partnership with DHHS and Partners • $25 million to be split with Mecklenburg County – Forsyth’s specific funding TBD 
  • Veterans Nursing Facility in Kernersville – Operating Funds • $14,800,000 
  • Senior Services, Inc. – New Building • $5,000,000 
  • YMCAs – COVID Recovery Grant Program (up to $100,000 each)
    • Fulton Family 
    • Robinhood Road Family 
    • William G. White, Jr. Family 
    • Wells Fargo Express 
    • Winston Lake Family 
    • Kernersville Family 
    • Jerry Long Family 
  • Salem Pregnancy Center – Renovations & Equipment • $255,000 
  • Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship Fund Grants • Pregnancy centers across the state can apply to the CPCF for grants to cover the costs of services, durable medical equipment, and training to use durable medical equipment 
  • Second Harvest Food Bank • $6,666,667 
  • Kaleideum Children’s Museum • $3,800,000 – Capital outlay 
  • SECCA (Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art) • $140,000 
  • Reynolda House & Gardens • $900,000 
  • Old Salem Museums & Gardens • $100,000 
  • Shallow Ford Historic Site • $1,800,000 – Site acquisition and $425,000 – Parking lot 
  • Belews Lake Park Development • $3,000,000 
  • TROSA – Union Cross • $11,000,000 
  • ARCA – Addiction Recovery Care Association, Inc. of Winston-Salem • $2,200,000 
  • Forsyth Jail & Prison Ministries • $75,000 
  • Trellis Supportive Care • $250,000 
  • Paul J. Ciener Botanical Gardens • $100,000 
  • Crossnore School & Children’s Home • $200,000 
  • Crosby Scholars
    • $300,000 – Forsyth 
    • $100,000 – Rowan 
    • $100,000 – Iredell 
  • 43. The Enrichment Center (ARC) • $250,000 
  • Public School Building – R&R • $500,000 – each year for repairs and renovations of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools K-12 educational facilities 
    • Needs-based Match Requirement: 35% 
  • Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools & Atrium School-based Virtual Health Services Pilot Program • $600,000 to Forsyth County 
  • Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools – Student Transportation Support School Bus Safety Pilot Program
    • $1,456,000 – Hardware for buses to implement program 
    • $435,000 – Technology and services to provide Wi-Fi access on buses 
  • Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools – Parkland High School Fields & Stadium – R&R • $2,500,000 
  • Forsyth Tech Community College – Capital improvements • $14,572,113 
  • UNC School of the Arts – General fund appropriation: $33,894,255 
    • Capital projects: $39,617,000 i. Includes $25,000,000 – Stevens Center Phase I 
    • Payment of AP testing fees for UNCSA students 
  • Winston-Salem State University • General Fund Appropriation: $65,004,094 (per year) 
    • SCIF Projects: $21,445,000 
    • K.R. Williams Auditorium (total authorization: $57 million)
      • i. Y1: $5.7 million 
      • ii. Y2: $14.25 million 
      • iii. Y3: $22.8 million 
      • iv. Y4: $14.25 million 
  • Winston-Salem State University – Simon Green Atkins Community Development Corporation (SGACDC) • $250,000 
  • Winston-Salem State University – North Carolina Collaboratory Research Grant Program • Grant awards determined by the Collaboratory 
  • Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine • $3,000,000 recurring each year of the biennium in addition to the $7,000,000 recurring in the base budget, for a total of $10,000,000 recurring annually 
  • Autopsy Center at Wake Forest Baptist • $21,600,481 
  • Salem College – Federal COVID Support • $484,246 
  • Winston-Salem Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) • $500,000