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Boliek: Financial distress becoming trend in NC cities
State Auditor Dave Boliek says his office is seeing a growing trend of financial difficulties in municipalities across North Carolina.
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NC Senate bill would limit Rocky Mount use of utility revenue
Raleigh lawmakers target Rocky Mount’s electric fund transfers amid audit fallout and concerns over utility rates and city financial management.
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Rocky Mount reports progress on financial recovery efforts
LGC officials received an update from Rocky Mount officials on the city’s progress in gaining better control of its finances.
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LGC delays Rocky Mount takeover, sets conditions for city
Local Government Commission (LGC) officials on Wednesday agreed to postpone a potential state takeover of Rocky Mount’s finances, contingent on the city complying with specific requirements.
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Vance rallies supporters in Rocky Mount, touts Trump economy
VP JD Vance visited Rocky Mount to promote the Trump administration’s economic agenda and rally Republican support in North Carolina’s 1st District.
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Audit: Rocky Mount cash reserves plunged $80M under new manager
A lack of oversight and due diligence has led to serious financial distress, including the mismanagement of millions of dollars, for the City of Rocky Mount, according to a 257-page performance audit released on Monday by State Auditor Dave Boliek’s office.
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Gunshot-detection system targets spiraling gun violence in Durham
In 2021, Durham’s homicide rate jumped by 30%, reaching a record of 50 murders for the year. City leaders have been scrambling for solutions, and by a 4-3 vote, decided to adopt a pilot program for the gunshot-detection system ShotSpotter. ShotSpotter is used by 120 police departments across the country — including New York City,...
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Local elected officials couldn’t profit from their offices under stalled bill
A bill intended to prohibit conflicts of interest by local elected officials is stalled in the N.C. legislature, as lawmakers wrangle over the state budget and the end of session remains uncertain. The measure, S.B. 473, would make it a crime for elected officials to use their position and access to government resources for personal...
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NAACP accuses auditor, senator of racism amid corruption probe
The president of the state chapter of the NAACP is leveling accusations of racism and white supremacy against auditor Beth Wood and state Sen. Lisa Barnes, R-Nash, over Wood’s investigation of corruption in the Rocky Mount City Council and Barnes’ proposed legislation intended to address it. “The truth is that Beth Woods and Lisa Barnes,...
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Audit: Rocky Mount councilman failed to pay city $47,704 in utility bills
Several Rocky Mount officials prevented the city’s utility payment office from attempting to collect $47,704 Mayor Pro-Tem Andre Knight owed in past due utility bills. That’s the main finding of an investigative report issued Friday, May 15, by N.C. State Auditor Beth Wood. Wood’s office opened the investigation after getting more than 200 complaints from...
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Rocky Mount community center would add debt without taxpayer OK
Rocky Mount city officials on Dec. 12 moved ahead with plans to build a community center that could cost taxpayers more than $50 million despite the area’s slumping population and declining property values. The Rocky Mount Downtown Community Facility was introduced in 2012 as a plan to boost the local economy by providing a youth...
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Court: Parking Lot Not A Building
RALEIGH — Local zoning decisions are often contentious. This is especially true when they pit different local government authorities against each other. In a case decided April 5, the N.C. Court of Appeals ruled on whether the city of Rocky Mount had the authority to impose zoning restrictions on a bus parking lot used by the Nash County schools. The appeals court held that the city had no power to zone the parking lot under the then-existing state law, as a parking lot was not a building. The controversy began in 2002 when the Nash-Rocky Mount schools wanted to build a bus parking lot at Rocky Mount Senior High School.
