NC town accused of hiding discriminatory billing by burying thousands of records in a field

Some town leaders are suing the town, accusing them of burying the documents to hide a history of racially discriminatory billing practices.

Whether or not the town is hiding a dark past, the buried documents pose a security risk, with personal information and even social security numbers clearly visible on the unearthed paper.

Local leaders say the effort to recover the documents – and uncover the reason for the burial – is a much-needed step towards accountability in the town.

Officials have pulled thousands of documents dating back to the 1990s out of the ground in an unassuming field -- and there's still more work to be done.

"The townspeople have a right to know that their paperwork, some of the things that they trusted in our hands, is under this ground behind me," said Uzzell.

Up until 2014, state law allowed cities and counties to bury documents – as long as they followed a schedule set by the state and any sensitive information would be destroyed in the process.

But most of these documents are still easily legible, and Uzzell said she believes they were buried as late as 2019.

"We’re your elected officials. What do we have to hide from you?" she said. "And I think it’s crucial that things be known, the people have a right to know what’s going on in their town."

"This should never have happened. The people should know, that’s what I’m trying to do. The people should know," said Uzzell, who is not running for re-election this fall, but says she intends to see this investigation through to the end.