Forsyth County commissioners approve zoning changes, budget amendments, vehicle and equipment contracts in unanimous votes

Forsyth County commissioners on Feb. 27 unanimously approved a series of zoning map amendments, site-plan changes, budget ordinance amendments, vehicle and equipment purchases, grants and other routine items after staff briefings and public hearings.

The business session covered three public-hearing rezonings and a site plan amendment; multiple budget and grant appropriations including airport fencing and public-health funds; awards of vehicle and ambulance contracts totaling up to $2.38 million; purchases of ambulance-loading systems and radio equipment for the school system; and several administrative resolutions, including a lease with Partners Health Management and dissolution of two inactive advisory committees.

Planning and Development Services Director Chris Murphy summarized three land-use requests that the board approved after public hearings. The board rezoned a 34.97-acre parcel (zoning map amendment F-16-52) from RS-9 to AG, citing that the property is predominantly in a regulated floodplain and that AG zoning is consistent with the South Suburban area plan. The board also approved a site-plan amendment for Clay Pigeon Properties LLC on a 16.91-acre parcel (F-16-53) to reduce an approved 28-lot plan to 23 lots and returned the plan to the board because staff judged the design change substantial. Finally, the board approved a 3.08-acre rezoning (F-16-54) from General Industrial (GI) to RS-40 to allow single-family residential use consistent with the Walkertown area plan.

The meeting also contained votes to appropriate restricted airport funds ($47,500) for terminal fencing and control-tower related work and to amend a Smith Reynolds Airport capital projects ordinance. The board approved small grant appropriations to public-safety and public-health programs: $8,000 in Justice Assistance Grant interest earnings to be shared proportionately with the Winston-Salem Police Department; $8,000 to the Forsyth County Department of Public Health from the National WIC Association; and $43,750 from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to refurbish the mobile unit used for community STI testing.

On procurement, the board authorized multiple vehicle contracts and ambulance chassis/bodies with an aggregate not-to-exceed amount of $2,381,868.54 across five vendor awards and approved Stryker power-load systems for county emergency services at $185,171.37 (exclusive of sales tax). The board also approved a Motorola Solutions contract for school-system radio equipment not to exceed $1,691,042.25.

Other approved items included a resolution revising the county's home and community care block grant plan (shifting $6,000 between adult-day programs), increasing a reimbursement agreement with Partners Health Management by $25,000 for a total not to exceed $175,000, a lease of 4,891 square feet to Partners Health Management at $5.95 per square foot (annual $29,101.45), declaring surplus personal property for online auction, and approving $22,869.71 in tax refunds.

Several administrative actions were adopted unanimously with little or no debate: dissolving the Coalition for Drug Abuse Prevention appointments and the Risk Management Advisory Committee (both inactive since 2017), setting compensation for the Board of Equalization and Review at $100 per meeting, and adopting the board's priority goals as a framework for staff implementation.

Most motions were moved and seconded on the record and carried in unanimous voice votes. Planning-board public hearings on the rezoning and site-plan items had no speakers in opposition, and the planning board had recommended approval on Jan. 9, 2025. The county manager and department heads answered brief questions before several items were approved.

Votes at a glance (selected items): - Zoning map amendment F-16-52 (Edward Raymond Longbottom): rezoned ~34.97 acres from RS-9 to AG — motion approved unanimously. - Site plan amendment F-16-53 (Clay Pigeon Properties LLC): site-plan change from 28 to 23 lots on 16.91 acres — motion approved unanimously. - Zoning map amendment F-16-54 (Nancy and Prospero Carrasco): rezoned ~3.08 acres from GI to RS-40 — motion approved unanimously. - Airport fencing: appropriate $47,500 (restricted fund balance) to capital projects — approved unanimously. - Justice Assistance Grant interest earnings: appropriate $8,000 — approved unanimously. - WIC grant: appropriate $8,000 to Public Health — approved unanimously. - DHHS funding: appropriate $43,750 to refurbish mobile STI testing van — approved unanimously. - Vehicle and ambulance contracts (five vendors): awards not to exceed $2,381,868.54 — approved unanimously. - Stryker power-load systems: $185,171.37 — approved unanimously. - Motorola radio equipment for schools: up to $1,691,042.25 — approved unanimously. - Partners Health Management reimbursement amendment: increase $25,000 to total not to exceed $175,000 — approved unanimously. - Lease to Partners Health Management (650 Highland Ave.): 4,891 sq ft at $5.95/sq ft, annual $29,101.45 — approved unanimously. - Surplus property disposition via online auction: authorized — approved unanimously. - Dissolution of two inactive committees (Coalition for Drug Abuse Prevention appointments; Risk Management Advisory Committee): approved unanimously. - Board priority goals: adopted unanimously.

Why it matters: the package of approvals affects zoning and development on multiple parcels, appropriates public funds for airport and health projects, refreshes emergency medical and fleet equipment and ambulances, and updates the county's programmatic priorities and administrative structure. Several items will lead to near-term procurement and project work by county departments or require state approvals or interlocal coordination.

What’s next: several procurements and capital projects move to contracting and implementation; the county manager said staff will prepare implementation plans for the newly adopted county priority goals. The county will also submit the revised home and community care block grant plan to the state for approval.