County Manager Shontell Robinson invites residents to the sixth annual Fun Fest on September 26th.
September 2026 - Vol. 28
Forsyth County Behavioral Health Services and community partners held a bookbag giveaway and resource fair at Highland Avenue Park last month.
A constitutional amendment will be on the ballot this fall that can affect how counties collect property tax. We want to make sure you know how your tax dollars are used in Forsyth County.
Our top three areas of expense in the county budget are:
Education $193.5 Million or 32% of the budget
- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (does not include School Resource Officers from the Sheriff’s Office or school nurses from Public Health) $179M
- Forsyth Technical Community College including Campus Police and maintenance $13.3M
- North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service - Provides services related to agriculture, horticulture, soil and water conservation, community gardening and livestock. It also facilitates 4-H youth development programs. $1.1M
Public Safety - $116.5M or 19.4% of the budget
- Sheriff's Office - Includes School Resource Officers and Patrol $84.8M
- Emergency Services - EMS, County Fire and County 911 $30M
- Interagency Communications – Maintains radio communication system for first responders $580k
- Emergency Management – City/County agency that coordinates disaster response $612k
- Bridges to Hope Family Justice Center – Serves victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, child maltreatment and human trafficking $429k
Health and Human Services - $101.1M or 16% of the budget
This includes Public Health, Social Services, Behavioral Health Services, Animal Shelter and Youth Services. We’ll go into more detail on this next month!
Forsyth Fun Fest is Sept 26 at Highland Avenue Park
Forsyth County Government will hold its sixth annual family-friendly Forsyth Fun Fest, which will include a job fair and free food, on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the new Highland Avenue Park, 642 Highland Ave, on the Forsyth County Health and Human Services Campus.
The event will also feature games, raffles, voter registration, music, kids' activities, flu vaccinations, STD testing, fire truck and ambulance tours, sheriff vehicle display, information on benefits and services, and more!
The Fun Fest is an opportunity for Forsyth County Government to connect with the community and for residents to learn about county services, some of which will be offered at the event.
County Manager
In This Issue
County Commissioner Update
Interim Commissioner Chris Parker was sworn in during a Special Meeting on August 10 to fill the seat of the recently retired Don Martin.
Parker was selected to fill Martin’s former seat by the Forsyth County Republican Party and will serve in an interim capacity until the winners of November’s election are sworn in. Parker is one of the candidates running for Forsyth County commissioner in District B.
Also, during the meeting, Gloria Whisenhunt was elected as chair and Gray Wilson was elected vice-chair by their fellow commissioners.
Here are this month’s meetings:
- Monday, Sept. 14 10 a.m. Bimonthly Morning Discussion Session 2 p.m. Briefing
- Thursday, Sept. 17 6 p.m. Meeting
- Monday, Sept. 28 2 p.m. Briefing
- Thursday, Oct. 1 2 p.m. Meeting
During briefings, staff brief the commissioners on the items they'll vote on in that week's meeting. During meetings, they vote on various items and hear from residents during their regular public comment session.
All commissioner meetings are held at the Forsyth County Government Center, 201 N. Chestnut St. Meetings are streamed live in their entirety on Forsyth County YouTube and Facebook, as well as the Forsyth County website and are also broadcasted live on WSTV13 on Spectrum cable.
Disc Golf opens at Tanglewood Park on Sept 18
Tanglewood Park’s new disc golf courses will open to the public on Sept. 18 at noon, offering something for players of all ages and skill levels.
The courses, designed by the Disc Golf Design Group and located across from Brenner Aquatics Center, feature an 18-hole championship-level long course and a 6-hole short course that will be ideal for beginners, families and players looking for a quicker round.
The long course covers more than 10,000 feet from its longest set of tees, providing a challenging round that takes players through the unique terrain, woods, elevation changes, and natural features of Tanglewood Park. Multiple tee pads and basket locations will allow players to choose the level of challenge that best fits their game.
Disc golf will be free with regular park admission or a valid annual Tanglewood Park pass.
Flight Festival Takes Off Sept 12 at Woodruff Aviation Lab
The Second Annual Skybound Flight Festival will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12. from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., at the Forsyth Tech Mazie S. Woodruff Aviation Technology Lab, 2739 Aviation Drive.
This free, family-friendly event will feature aircraft displays, discovery flights, drone demonstrations, hands-on STEM activities, food trucks, live entertainment, raffles and opportunities to explore aviation and aerospace careers for all ages.
This celebration of aviation, aerospace, STEM, and workforce development is held on the campus of Smith Reynolds Airport by the Shaw ACE Academy, which holds summer camps at the airport exploring aviation careers. The festival is designed to inspire the next generation while connecting our community with the people and industries shaping the future of flight. Forsyth County is proud to be a partner in this event.
Health Fair and Naloxone Training at Downtown Bus Station
Forsyth County Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with Winston-Salem Transit Authority and City Parks and Rec, is holding a Health Resource Fair and Naloxone Training this month at Clark Campbell Transportation Center, 100 W. 5th St.
A Health Resource Fair will be held 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sept. 8 with community organizations that offer healthcare, counseling and social service resources.
The Naloxone Training will be held 6-7:30 p.m. on Sept. 15 and will teach participants how to reverse an opioid overdose.
Monthly resource fairs and trainings are held at different recreation centers or the Transportation Center. You can see the full list of Health Resource Fairs and Naloxone Training sessions here.
Forsyth Child Support Collects Over $22 Million for Local Families
Child Support Services at the Forsyth County Department of Social Services honored its employees on August 20 for collecting over $22 million for local families in the last fiscal year.
A total of $22,008,252 was collected, which was 101.87% of their goal for the year, ranking them fifth in the state for total collections. CSS agents help locate non-custodial parents, establish the paternity of the children involved, petition the court to order child support payments and enforce the child support order.
During their annual Child Support Awareness Month celebration, numerous child support agents were honored for their accomplishments last fiscal year. Bonnie Reynolds was celebrated for having the Highest Total Collections with $1,316,137.19, a 19% increase over her performance last year, which also earned her this recognition. Reynolds was also recognized for having the Highest Average Collection Rate, 70.71 percent of payments due for her ongoing support cases. Tabatha Croom achieved the Highest Payment to Arrears, receiving payments for past due support on 76.19 percent of her cases. Jewel Crews was recognized for having the Highest Average Paternities per month and the Highest Average of Orders Established with an average of 35.50 per month.
Many other employees received awards. You can view all the photos from the event on Forsyth County’s Flickr page.
County Career Expo
Join us at the Forsyth County Government Career Expo on Thursday, Sept. 24, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Government Center, 201 N. Chestnut St. in Winston-Salem.
Meet hiring teams, explore rewarding career opportunities, and discover how you can build a career serving your community. Bring your resume, questions and your career goals.
Select departments will conduct interviews onsite and make same-day job offers!
Board of Elections staff receive state certification
Forsyth County Board of Elections's Jason Lerman, Kanitha Davis, Carma Buchanan and Kay Moore were recognized as North Carolina Certified Election Administrators during the Board of Elections August 21 meeting. This state certification for election staff required them to attend numerous trainings and pass an exam that focuses on election law, rules and administration. There are now a total of eight staff members at the Forsyth Board of Elections with state certification.
Bookbag Giveaway a Success
Parents braved the rain and came out for the Back-to-School Resource Fair on Saturday, August 8 at Highland Avenue Park. Fortunately, the weather cleared up as the event got going and families got to enjoy the festive event at the park.
The event was coordinated by Forsyth County Behavioral Health Services and community partners. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. provided free bookbags. Forsyth WINS grilled free food. And there were a multitude of community partners at the event informing parents about their services while providing activities for the kids.
Stay Updated
Subscribe to receive our monthly newsletter delivered to your inbox.