Rocky Mount city council members acknowledge responsibility for financial crisis

Two Rocky Mount city council members spoke with WRAL News Friday about their roles in the city’s multimillion-dollar budget crisis.

WRAL News spoke with council members T.J. Walker and Jabaris Walker.

“I knew we had a lot of expenses in our general fund,” T.J. Walker said. “As far as our fund balance decreasing in the way it's been reported and shown, I had no idea.”

Jabaris Walker said he takes on a level of responsibility.

“Absolutely I do, and I think us as a council take it as a whole,” Jabaris Walker said. “So we're here, so you [have to] come up with a plan to try to get us out of here. And I think that's where we're going.”

A review of Rocky Mount’s finances showed the city had spent millions more than what it brought in for at least two years. The city’s savings fund dropped from $100 million to $20 million in the same time frame.

The city said it would need to lay off workers, including as many as 15 from the Rocky Mount Police Department and up to 10 from the Rocky Mount Fire Department. The city also said it would look to cut at least $30 million over the next 10 months.

For the city’s approximate 54,000 residents, it will mean a bump in natural gas and electricity rates. Estimates put the increase at about $20 per month for natural gas for the typical household. An approximate $8 monthly increase for electricity is expected, according to a release from the city.

Since 2022, the North Carolina’s Treasurer’s Office has sent Rocky Mount leaders warnings about the city’s finances.

In the documents, the state said the city's operating income for 2022 had a negative balance of $283,932, and the city continued going further in debt each following year, ballooning to $5,289,039.

The documents obtained from the state do not explain the millions of dollars that are missing from the town's savings fund.

Multiple city council members and Mayor Sandy Roberson blame a revolving door of city managers and finance directors, but they also were made aware of the situation. WRAL News requested an interview with Roberson on Friday, but he declined.

However, Roberson said he’s looking toward the state's audit for clarity on where that money went. 

City leaders signed off on plans to fix financial concerns raised by the state year after year, including as recently as June.

WRAL News asked T.J. Walker whether he signed off on plans, showing him his signature.

“I don’t remember seeing this document,” he said. “That right there is an indicator of a red flag, but I don’t remember seeing that in 2023 or 2022.”

Jabaris Walker added, "I would have done a lot of things different, like you, but we asked all the questions. As a council from the mayor's office, we asked those questions. This is what we was presented. We really felt and thought every decision we made was for the betterment of the city."

WRAL News asked the city about the state’s concerns dating back to 2022. The city provided a statement.

“Delays by city staff in providing financial information to councilmembers meant discussions and remedies did not occur in a timely manner,” the statement reads in part.

Rocky Mount’s statement said city leaders are working to solve the problems outlined.