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Votes at a glance: Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, Dec. 19 — budget, contracts, appointments and behavioral health funding
Summary
At its Dec. 19 meeting the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved a slate of budget amendments, contracts and appointments, ratified legislative priorities and authorized funding and agreements including for behavioral health urgent care; the board also adopted a procedural change for how votes are cast and recorded.
At its Dec. 19 meeting the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved a broad set of routine and substantive items including multiple budget amendments, contract authorizations, appointments, a plan to seek state capital projects funding and a resolution authorizing a potential agreement to use state ARPA funds for behavioral health urgent care operations. The board also adopted a procedural change for how votes are taken during meetings.
Key outcomes (motions approved unless otherwise noted):
- Budget and capital items: The board approved multiple budget-ordinance amendments and capital project ordinance amendments, including appropriation of $137,754.02 in interest earnings tied to the State Capital Infrastructure Fund; $1,000,000 from reserve fund balance for previously approved economic development projects; and several fund-balance appropriations to cover prior-year encumbrances (totaling multiple hundreds of thousands). (Agenda items 7–13, 15–21)
- Airport and property transactions: The board authorized acceptance of an amended hangar lease consent at Smith Reynolds Airport (assignment to Signature Flight Support LLC) and awarded a brokerage-services contract (NAI Piedmont Triad LLC) to market and sell the Hall of Justice property. (Agenda items 15, 16)
- Contracts and procurement: Commissioners authorized amendments and purchases including a software agreement amendment for the North Carolina Property Tax System (up to $40,000 per fiscal year), purchase of cameras for the Highland Avenue Center (not to exceed $131,649.77), and a guaranteed maximum price amendment with Frank L. Bloom Construction Company (increase of $97,767) for the Highland Avenue Park project; the board approved an amendment to the audit contract with Cherry Bekaert LLP (additional $13,500 transfer from contingency). (Agenda items 17, 18, 19, 43)
- Transportation and human services: The board authorized reallocations for transportation assistance programs for elderly and disabled residents ($68,575 total) and approved various small grant- and project-related budget adjustments and community grants (including Winston-Salem Foundation funds for the Tanglewood Park arboretum). (Agenda items 20, 13)
- Housing and community funds: The board amended the 2022/2023 housing grants project ordinance to add $108,000 for eligible homes served, and approved other adjustments to housing- and law-enforcement-related funds to cover prior-year encumbrances. (Agenda items 11, 9)
- Behavioral health urgent care funding (Daymark Recovery Services): The board authorized a resolution to execute an agreement with Daymark Recovery Services for behavioral health urgent care operations at 650 N. Highland Ave., contingent on receiving written state approval to use state ARPA/maintenance-of-effort funds and written approval to proceed via a noncompetitive procurement method. The authorization will be void if required state approvals are not received. (Added item walked in at meeting.)
- Legislative priorities: The board approved a resolution setting legislative priorities to submit to the North Carolina General Assembly; the top three capital requests included funding for a community violence interruption program, Blue’s Lake Park Phase 2, and an MRO hangar renovation at the airport. The board also asked staff and its lobbyist to pursue associated statutory fixes (billing code changes for paramedicine, foster-placement flexibility, adoption-related clarifications). (Agenda item 22)
- Appointments: The board made multiple appointments by acclamation (adult care home advisory, historic commission, hospital trustees, Smith Reynolds Airport Board, and others), and completed contested appointments for the Home and Community Care Block Grant Advisory Council; remaining vacancies will be brought forward in future meetings. (Appointments segment)
- Governance and voting procedure: The board adopted a procedural change for voting: the chair will call for a voice vote on motions and may ask for a show of hands if the voice is unclear; commissioners may request a hand vote or division. The board voted in favor of the motion. The county did not implement full digital voting at this meeting; commissioners discussed the technology but elected to proceed with voice votes and hand raises when needed.
Meeting pattern: Most of the listed items passed by unanimous vote. Several motions were moved and seconded by individual commissioners; where a mover or seconder was not recorded in the transcript excerpt, the item was recorded as approved with unanimous support.
Speakers and staff frequently identified during these agenda items included County Manager (presenting amendments), Denise Price (contracts/grants), Gordon (county attorney/lobbyist briefing legislative priorities), and various commissioners (Chairman Martin, Vice Chair Wisenhunt, Commissioners McDaniel, Bessie, Linville, Wilson and Woodbury).
