2026-08-10 - Public Safety Committee

Summary

Chair Scippio opened by thanking police for their work during the Black Theatre Festival. The consent agenda passed unanimously: three Governor's Highway Safety Program grants (the BikeSafe regional coordinator, the Forsyth County Joint DWI Task Force with a county and Kernersville agreement, and WSPD overtime traffic enforcement with related budget ordinances), all headed to Council on 9/8. Assistant Fire Chief Andrew Gray gave an information-only update on the Fire Department SUV response program, and Police Chief William Penn presented the department's public safety report (information only). Under staff comments Scippio proposed exploring a first-responder wellness center like one she toured at the National League of Cities conference in Louisville. The meeting adjourned at 2:46 p.m.

Summary written from the official committee summary minutes; no transcript yet.

Official Minutes

Committee summary of minutes from Legistar (page headers and footers removed).

Summary

    Public Safety Committee
    Council Member Annette Scippio, Chair
    Council Member Regina Hall, Vice Chair
    Council Member Vivián V. Joiner
    Council Member Scott Andree-Bowen

Monday, August 10, 2026  2:00 PM

CALL TO ORDER

    Additional Attendees:
    Council Member Clark

    Chair Scippio called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. and asked the City Clerk to
    call the roll

    Council Member Scippio expressed appreciation to the Police Department for its
    efforts in keeping the city safe during the Black Theatre Festival and for providing an
    exceptional level of safety, security, and police presence throughout the event.
C CONSENT AGENDA

    Assistant Chief Swaim provided a brief explanation of the items included on the
    Consent Agenda.
    A motion to approve the balance of the Consent Agenda was made by Council
    Member Andree-Bowen, seconded by Council Member Joiner. The motion
    carried unanimously.

C-1.  Resolution Authorizing Acceptance of Continued Grant Funding from the
    North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program for the BikeSafe
    Regional Coordinator Position
    (Public Safety Committee Recommends Approval)
    Committee Recommends Approval by the Consent Vote. Referred to the City
    Council on 09/08/2026.

C-2.  Resolution Authorizing Acceptance of a Grant from the North Carolina
    Governor’s Highway Safety Program to Fund the Forsyth County Joint DWI
    Task Force, Execution of an Interlocal Agreement between the City of
    Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, and Execution of a Mutual Assistance
    Agreement between the City, County, and the Town of Kernersville for
    Continued Implementation of the Forsyth County DWI Joint Task Force
    (Public Safety Committee Recommends Approval)
    Committee Recommends Approval by the Consent Vote. Referred to the City
    Council on 09/08/2026.

C-3.  Consideration of Items Related to Acceptance of Grant Funding from the
    North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program for the Winston-Salem
    Police Department's Overtime Traffic Enforcement Initiative:
    (Public Safety Committee Recommends Approval)

    Resolution Authorizing Acceptance of a Grant from the North Carolina
    Governor's Highway Safety Program for the WSPD Overtime Traffic
    Enforcement Initiative

    Ordinance Amending the Annual Appropriation and Tax Levy Ordinance for
    the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the Fiscal Year 2026-2027

    Ordinance Amending the Project Budget Ordinance for the City of
    Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the Fiscal Year 2026-2027
    Committee Recommends Approval by the Consent Vote. Referred to the City
    Council on 09/08/2026.

C-4.  Approval of Public Safety Committee Summary of Minutes
    The Minutes Document was approved.

G GENERAL AGENDA

G-1.  Fire Department SUV Response Program Update

    Assistant Fire Chief Andrew Gray presented Item G-1.
    Information Only.

G-2.  Winston-Salem Police Department Public Safety Report

    Chief of Police, William Penn presented item G-2.
    Information Only.

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Council Member Scippio shared that, during the National League of Cities
    Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, in July, one of the facilities toured was a
    wellness center for first responders. She noted that the center provides mental
    health services, training facilities, wellness resources, and other specialized
    services. CM Scippio expressed interest in having Winston-Salem explore the
    possibility of developing a similar facility to support the well-being and
    professional needs of first responders.
ADJOURNMENT

    There being no further information to come before the Public Safety Committee, the
    meeting adjourned at 2:46 p.m

Transcript

Transcript pending: video captions can't be retrieved yet (see the Winston-Salem playbook).