WS Chronicle

Medical accountability at the county jail, pollution under the new courthouse site and accessory dwellings were among the issues the Forsyth County commissioners voted on during their Thursday, Oct. 26, meeting.

This summer, several commissioners voiced concerns with renewing Correct Care Solutions LLC’s contract to provide health services for the Forsyth County Detention Center after inmates died under its care. With no other company bidding for the contract, a split county commissioners renewed the contract for three years.

During that debate, there were questions if the county health department could monitor inmate care at the jail. And that’s exactly what commissioners approved last week. They unanimously voted for a new communicable disease nurse position that will randomly monitor key metrics to see if inmate medical care is provided effectively. Commissioners approved $78,674, which covers the position’s salary and benefits for eight months.

Commissioners also unanimously approved a contract with Kilpatrick Townsend to apply to the state’s Brownfields Program for the site of the new courthouse. Groundwater contamination, which is common downtown, was found underneath the land and may require remediation. A brownfields agreement would outline how to safely use the property. County staff does not expect it to delay construction, which is still more than a year out. The city has had its sale of Bowman Gray Stadium delayed for years by a brownfields agreement on that property.

County commissioners also voted unanimously to remove the kinship requirement for accessory dwellings. A court ruling that local governments can’t regulate housing based on the relation of its users or owners made the change necessary. The city approved a measure in September that would require accessory dwellings to go through the zoning process. Commissioners decided to forgo that and keep the current process, which involves a hearing by the Board of Adjustment for a Special Use Permit.

“Why would we complicate something that’s simple?” said County Commissioner Chairman Dave Plyler, during a briefing on the item.