On Monday, the state will release the findings of an investigation into the city of Rocky Mount’s finances and budget crisis it began investigating months ago in Rocky Mount.
According to a spokesperson for the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor, State Auditor Dave Boliek will hold a 9 a.m. news conference to discuss the Rocky Mount performance audit. The state previously announced in January that it would release its findings “soon.”
Boliek’s office began the investigation following the city’s admission of a budget crisis in late 2025.
In September, city leaders revealed they spent millions more than the city brought in each month for two consecutive years. It was shortly after that announcement that Boliek stepped in.
Many residents believe the city’s financial troubles could be connected to an ongoing utility billing issue.
At a special council meeting in January,
the city leaders said the two are not related, explaining the billing
problem was caused by an inadvertent increase in the time between meter
readings and billing dates. When that issue was corrected, it resulted
in back-to-back bills for customers.
The mayor and other council members said the problems could have
stemmed from a revolving door of city managers and a change of finance
directors.
The city has said residents will have to pay more in natural gas and
electricity. It also said it would
reduce spending by at least $30 million for 10 months, and it paused projects and laid off
employees.
Boliek’s news conferene is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday on the second floor of the Albemarle Building in downtown Raleigh.
The city is also set to review an independent audit on Monday during a
city council retreat.