On top of that, the county will be spending another $2.8 million within county departments, restoring budgets that were trimmed 3% earlier and hiring additional social workers and public-health nurses, as well as someone to help guide the county toward clean-energy goals. Money is in there as well to increase employee pay.
From the higher projected revenues, commissioners approved new spending of more than $7.2 million on Thursday.
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will get an extra $2.9 million from that amount, plus another $500,000 from a separate coronavirus relief funds for ventilation-system improvements meant to improve air quality in the schools.
While many of the groups getting additional money are ones that help the needy, commissioners took no action on the demands of more than 30 anti-eviction protesters who gathered outside Thursday while they met.