Rocky Mount’s state of economic distress is entering another chapter – one where ideas around rate raises and spending cuts are starting to take shape.
In a special city council meeting on Thursday, councilmembers discussed ways to generate revenue and make necessary cuts to services to dig itself out of a hole. A state-led audit released earlier this month showed former City Manager Keith Rogers Jr. operated “unchecked” and went “unaccountable for years.”
Representatives led discussions around raising residential electric rates, gas rates, and the sewer and water rates. The electric rate would see an $18 to $19 increase on average for Rocky Mount customers. For gas, customers would see a $15 increase, on average, for three months.
A vote on the budget proposal will take place during a Monday meeting.
In September, it was said that the city needed to reduce spending by at least $30 million over a 10-month period. In October, the city said it would have to layoff about 100 employees. Layoffs and furloughs were discussed on Thursday as well.
Proposed spending reductions that would take effect this year would be suspending a 3% contribution to the 401(k) for city employees in April 2026, eliminating downtown grants, suspending city-hosted public events, renegotiating agreements for prospective downtown major investment incentive projections, eliminating nonessential travel paid for by the city and department-identified reductions to operating accounts.
Councilmember Reuben C. Blackwell called the effort a phased approach, but the time for tough decisions is coming.
“The strategies that are incorporated have been done in consultation with the state,” Blackwell said. “They made it very clear to us that we either do what we need to do or they’ll come in and do it for us.”
Councilmember Tom Harris also spoke to the urgency of the situation.
“I do not want the LGC (Local Government Commission) to come here, none of us do, but if they do, there’s going to be worse decisions that are going to have to be made,” Harris said. “It’s incumbent upon us as a council to go and find where we can save money, and we’ve got to raise some revenue, and I hate that, personally, I hate that.”