ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WBTV) – A city in North Carolina is set to lay off workers and raise utility costs for residents amid a “serious financial crisis,” it said in a news release Tuesday.
The city of Rocky Mount — which is about an hour east of Raleigh — said a recent budget review found that for more than two years, the city has spent millions more than it brought in.
That budget review was done by the new city manager, who called the findings “troubling,” and said Rocky Mount was hiring an independent forensic accounting firm to further investigate.
According to the city’s Sept. 23 news release, Rocky Mount city council members were suspicious of city management as far back as 2023, and in August 2024, the council voted to put then city manager Keith Rogers Jr. on administrative leave. Sister-station WITN reported that Rogers resigned after the council placed him on leave.
As a result of the so-called “financial crisis,” Rocky Mount said it will seek to reduce spending by $30 million over the next 10 months, and will lay off at least 10% of full-time employees, plus half of its part-time staff. The city also said it would freeze non-essential projects and pause capital initiatives.
With the pending layoffs coming, the city said it would “do its best” to help full-time employees set to lose their jobs. The mayor said affected employees would be notified within two weeks of Sept. 23.
Another measure the city said it would take is to raise utility rates. Those increases are expected to raise natural gas rates by $20 for the average household per month, and electricity rates by $8.
The city of Rocky Mount said it will lay off workers and raise utility rates amid its “serious financial crisis.”(WITN)
Despite the financial trouble, Rocky Mount said in its release that it is “committed to transparency” and “remains open for business.”
Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson shared a video message Tuesday morning, in which he called the situation a “serious challenge.”
“This is not an easy moment for any of us,” Roberson said in the video. “My heart is heavy. But my belief in this community is strong, and we have faced challenges before, and each time we have emerged stronger with honesty, discipline and unity.”
Rocky Mount is the 22nd-largest municipality in North Carolina — bigger than Hickory, Monroe and Salisbury — and is home to more than 50,000 people, according to World Population Review.
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