• By Todd Luck
• Posted Monday, December 22, 2025

Commissioners Reflect on 2025

The commissioners looked back on county highlights in 2025 during their final meeting of the year on Dec. 18.

In his year-end remarks, County Commissioner Chair Don Martin talked about the commissioners' actions in 2025, which included holding quarterly evening meetings to improve public accessibility and participation. Commissioners will now hold an evening meeting every month in 2026. They also adopted a resolution urging regulators to deny permits for Transco’s pipeline expansion until a full environmental review can confirm its safety.

The county navigated the longest federal government shutdown in history from October 1–Nov. 12, by meeting with partners on a weekly basis to plan for potential SNAP and WIC benefit disruptions. The public and staff were kept informed of the constantly changing situation and, while some employees were reassigned, none were furloughed during the shutdown. The collaboration with community partners was so successful that they continue to meet on a monthly basis.

It was a year of progress in public safety as the radio system for all first responders in Forsyth was replaced with a modern $18 million system funded by the county and the City of Winton-Salem. NC Fire Chief’s Consulting conducted an Emergency Services study and are in the process of conducting a Fire Study to evaluate the county’s long-term fire system needs. A new Fire Commission, made up of firefighters and the residents they serve, was formed based on the initial study’s recommendations.

The county cut the ribbon on many of its construction projects for new facilities and parks including the new Tanglewood Clubhouse, Belews Lake Park and the Highland Avenue Park. Renovations were also completed on the Smith Reynolds Airport Terminal, the Auditorium in Annex 1 and the Highland Avenue Center, which now houses many of the county’s Behavioral Health Services and a 16-bed adult facility-based crisis center, which is expected to open in early 2026.

This year has seen many transitions in county leadership with new department heads like Animal Shelter Director Jamie Bertman, Behavioral Health Services Director Michael Duncan, Cooperative Extension Director Leslie Rose and Tax Assessor/Collector Amanda Markle. Also, EMS Director Andrew Davis, Fire Services Director Brock Smith and 911 Communications Director Jamie Fore were also promoted to be director of their respective Emergency Service divisions in a restructuring of that department.

Forsyth County supported four new economic development projects that are projected to generate approximately $54.6 million in capital investment and about 144 new jobs. Commissioners approved up to $488,310 in incentives for these projects. Incentives are contingent on the employers meeting their job creation and capital investment goals.

Commissioners also approved a budget during a reappraisal year that saw an unprecedented 51% average increase in property values. Because of this, the property tax rate was decreased by 14.26-cents to 53.52 cents per $100 of value. However, this rate is still 4.48 cents above the new revenue-neutral rate of 49.04 cents in order to reduce the county’s reliance on using fund balance for recurring expenses. Fund balance represents the cumulative difference between revenues and expenditures. A strong fund balance ensures sufficient cash flow for daily operations, provides a financial safeguard for unforeseen emergencies and is a key indicator of economic health that helps the county maintain its AAA credit rating.

This year, commissioners also reallocated $8.5 million to assist Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools with debt repayment during their financial crisis and agreed to forgive $5 million the WS/FC Schools owed the county if they could raise matching funds, which the school system exceeded. The county continues to support public schools, with the new school funding formula yielding $180 million for WS/FC Schools in this year’s budget.