WS Chronicle

Voters in Forsyth County are expected to be asked to approve several bond areas, a county sales tax and numerous state constitution amendments during the General Election in Nov. 6.

Six proposed state constitution amendments will be on the ballot.

WUNC-FM 91.5 reports that voters will be asked to vote for or against the following:

*Right to Hunt, Fish, and Harvest Wildlife: Constitutional amendment protecting the right of the people to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife.

*Rights of Victims of Crime: Constitutional amendment to strengthen protections for victims of crime, to establish certain absolute basic rights for victims and to ensure the enforcement of these rights.

*Bipartisan State Board of Ethics and Elections Enforcement: Constitutional amendment to establish a bipartisan Board of Ethics and Elections to administer ethics and election laws, to clarify the appointment authority of the Legislative and the Judicial Branches, and to prohibit legislators from serving on boards and commissions exercising executive or judicial authority.

*Selection for Judicial Vacancies: Constitutional amendment to implement a nonpartisan merit-based system that relies on professional qualifications instead of political influence when nominating justices and judges to be selected to fill vacancies that occur between judicial elections.

*Cap On Income Tax Rate: Constitutional amendment to reduce the income tax rate in North Carolina to a maximum allowable rate of seven percent (7%).

*Voter ID: Constitutional amendment to require voters to provide photo identification before voting in person.

Go to http://wunc.org/post/you-get-vote-6-amendments-nc-constitution-here-they-are#stream/0 to find links to the full acts passed by the General Assembly.

The City of Winston-Salem has proposed a bond referendum with $122 million worth of projects, in five categories. Each category will be listed separately on the ballot.

On Aug. 6, the council is scheduled to hold a public hearing before voting on the bonds, authorizing them to appear on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

The Chronicle is reporting that the bond areas are:

* $43.7 million for streets and sidewalks.

*$31 million for parks and recreation.

*$21.1 million for public safety facilities.

*$14.5 million for economic development.

*$11.7 million for housing.

The amount for each bond is set, but individual projects in each bond can still be changed. If voters approve all the bonds, city property taxes may increase up to 4 cents per $100 of property value.

For a list of the proposed projects for the bonds, go to http://www.cityofws.org/2018bonds.

The Chronicle is reporting that Forsyth County commissioners unanimously passed a $426.3 million budget with no property tax increase with plans to put a quarter-cent county sales tax on the ballot in November. The money raised by the tax would go to pay for the debt from building the new courthouse. The new tax would apply to purchases in Forsyth County, except gas and groceries.

If voters do not pass the sales tax, then county property tax would need to go up 3.1 cent in the next budget to pay for courthouse debt. County property tax is currently 72.35 cents per $100 of property value.