Bus system spending could be point of controversy on Winston-Salem budget

Higher spending on the city’s bus system could be a point of contention as the Winston-Salem City Council began tackling the proposed 2017-18 city budget, which would give the average property owner a higher tax bill in the coming year.

Council Member Robert Clark objected to keeping a bus route that is proposed for cancellation because of low ridership, after City Manager Lee Garrity said Council Member Derwin Montgomery wants to keep the route for at least six more months.

Montgomery was absent because of a death in his family.

City officials say higher salaries for police officers, firefighters and other employees, along with bus system needs, are among the major drivers in a budget that proposes a tax rate of 59.74 cents for every $100 of property.

The rate is only 1.24 cents higher than the current rate of 58.5 cents, but it is 3.5 cents higher than the so-called revenue-neutral rate of 56.24 cents. Because the countywide tax value reappraisal in 2017 increased most property values for tax purposes, the revenue-neutral rate is one that would produce the same tax revenue as the 58.5-cent rate did previously.

Read more: http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/bus-system-spending-could-be-point-of-controversy-on-city/article_edbc24d9-4a1f-53f1-974a-1934073712bf.html