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Cut spending, residents tell city at forum
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Published: November 19, 2008
Winston-Salem residents attending a citywide forum last night suggested cutting the city's budget, investing in technology training and continuing to support local nonprofit groups as steps that the city can take to maintain its financial footing as the economy slides into recession.
Several community leaders spoke during the forum, including people affiliated with the Greater Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. All asked that the Winston-Salem City Council continue to invest city money in their projects, such as the symphony, the theaters, the arts and the Piedmont Triad Research Park.
About 100 people attended the forum, held at Joel Coliseum.
Mark Boynton, a supporter of the arts council, said that the arts in Winston-Salem generate money, even though most of the arts here are supported by nonprofit organizations.
"I know we're looking to tighten our belts," Boynton said. "But please let us not do it at the expense of the arts."
Nan Griswold, who recently retired as the executive director of Second Harvest, said that city officials should be most concerned about feeding hungry children. She said that 24,000 children in the area qualify for free or reduced lunches at their schools.
"In all the economic talk, if we don't take care of our children … we're going to have problems in the future," she said.
City officials, who spoke before residents gave their opinions, said that the city is financially strong. Denise Bell, the city's chief finance officer, said that the city has the highest credit rating it can have, as judged by three credit-rating agencies. She said that the city continues to set aside 10 percent of its general fund into reserve money. She said that the city could ask for a referendum in 2010 to issue $100 million in bonds for street improvements, recreation, housing, public safety and economic development.
Still, the president of an economic-development organization said that the city has a lot of work to do if it wants to be considered a "top-tier" midsize city.
Don Flow, the president of the Winston-Salem Alliance, said that the city would need to grow by 35,000 to 40,000 jobs over the next 10 years to rise to the level of top-tier city. He said that the city would need to grow by 20,000 jobs just to maintain its current position.
"We have barely been treading water," Flow said. "We have, at best, replaced jobs, and that's been like running on a treadmill with all the jobs we've been losing."
The city council and mayor viewed the forum as a way to gather ideas from the community about how the city should manage its money and continue to develop economically.
Gerald Wood, who lives in the southwestern part of the city, said that city officials should stop spending money.
"At my house, I have to turn the power down, I have to turn the heat down, because I have to save on my power bill," he said. "The city needs to make a concerted effort to join me in cutting your expenses so I don't have to cut my expenses any further."
■ Laura Graff can be reached at 727-7279 or at lgraff@wsjournal.com.
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