A recent state audit has calmed concerns that Rocky Mount residents were double-billed for utilities, but also drew attention to more than $30,000 in total outstanding utility bills from two City Council members.
Rocky Mount provides utility services for more than 31,000 customers across the city as well as nearby areas of Nash, Edgecombe and Wilson counties. These services include electric, gas, water and sewer, the audit report said.
Some residents first raised questions about utilities in late 2025, when they received two bills within a month and thought they had been double-billed, the report said.
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While the audit found that residents were not double-billed, it revealed that two City Council members — Charles Roberson and T.J. Walker — had racked up more than $30,000 in total outstanding utility bills. Both council members have since paid off those balances.
This latest development comes as Rocky Mount has faced pressure from the state Local Government Commission to fix serious financial problems. While the city has made significant progress in its recovery efforts, the audit report emphasized the city still has “little margin for error,” calling into question the current council’s ability to lead the city through the remainder of its recovery.
Utility billing concerns
The misplaced concern over double-billing stemmed from a large gap between meter reading and billing dates, which the city’s Director of Business and Collections Services first discovered in December 2025 after staff layoffs, the report said.
The reason for the gap was “unauthorized and undetected modifications” to the meter reading and billing schedules, which led to meter readings occurring earlier and earlier each month, even though the city’s policy is to schedule these readings for roughly the same week each month, the report said.
Proper billing practices are outlined by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, which instructs utilities to bill customers within roughly five days of the meter reading. While Rocky Mount’s utilities technically don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the commission, the city still tries to abide by its guidelines, the report said.
However, Rocky Mount was billing customers seven to 14 days after meter readings, even 30 days afterward in some cases. These delays had been going on as far back as January 2025, the report said. City Manager Elton Daniels said these kinds of delays can cause “corresponding fluctuations in the amount due on a customer’s invoice.”
To resolve the gap, the director decided to send an additional utility bill in either December 2025 or January 2026. The city made multiple efforts to help residents understand the reasoning for the additional bill including discussions at council meetings, meeting with customers in person and over the phone to discuss concerns, and posting information on the city website and social media pages, Daniels said.
Despite these efforts, some residents still thought they were being double-billed and went to the news media to share their concerns, the audit report said. When CPP asked how receptive residents seemed to be to the audit’s findings, Daniels said that while the situation “understandably created frustration and uncertainty for citizens,” the audit confirms no improper billing occurred.
City officials are still unsure who was responsible for making the schedule changes that caused the billing gap in the first place and reasons behind that change, the report said.
When CPP asked whether the city plans to investigate further who was behind the schedule changes that led to the gap and whether there are concerns it might happen again, Daniels said: “We will continue to implement improvements that strengthen our operations while maintaining our commitment to transparency, accountability, and quality customer service.”
Outstanding payments
The audit found that council members Roberson and Walker each had their own outstanding payments. Roberson had 30 utility accounts that had a total outstanding balance of more than $27,000 and hadn’t made a payment in more than six months, the report said.
Walker had an outstanding balance on one utility account of more than $3,000 and hadn’t made a payment since February, the report said.
After the billing gap was discovered in December, the city initiated a temporary pause on late fees and service disconnections for all utility customers due to potential financial difficulties from the additional bill, the report said. If any customers — including the council members — fell behind on payments, the pause meant they wouldn’t be penalized or have their service disconnected.
However, the billing gap was discovered in December 2025, and these council members continued to not pay their bills through April 2026, the report said.
When CPP reached out to Roberson and asked how it reached this point, he explained that he’s had multiple utility accounts for several years for city redevelopment projects which were on AutoPay. Before the billing problem, he removed his accounts from AutoPay because he couldn’t determine how payments were being applied across his accounts.
“My questions were never about avoiding payment,” Roberson told CPP. “They were about the accuracy, transparency and accountability of the city’s billing system. My goal has always been to help build a utility system that is efficient, reliable and works fairly for every customer.”
Roberson also said he supported bringing in the state auditor to conduct an independent audit of the utility billing system.
The report argued that the lack of payments from council members suggested “they took advantage of this decision to further their own personal financial interests.”
Roberson, on the other hand, said he respectfully disagrees.
“The temporary suspension of late fees and utility disconnections was a citywide administrative policy that applied to every utility customer,” he said. “I did not vote to create that policy, I did not direct staff to implement it, and I received no preferential treatment, write-offs, or debt forgiveness.
“I believe the report establishes facts regarding account balances, but I do not believe it identifies evidence supporting conclusions about my personal intent or motivation. I have respectfully asked the Office of the State Auditor to reconsider that language during the review process.”
Council members did follow through on the auditor’s recommendation that they pay their outstanding bills. Letters from the city obtained by CPP showed that Roberson — whose outstanding balance had grown to more than $34,000 at that point — paid his bills and had a zero balance on his accounts as of June 9. Walker also paid his outstanding bills and had a zero balance as of June 16.
Carolina Public Press reached out to Walker’s office for comment, but he did not respond prior to publication.
Impact on financial recovery
This isn’t the first time a City Council member has been delinquent in their utility payments, according to a 2020 state audit.
Council member Andre Knight previously had an outstanding utility balance of more than $47,000 that accumulated over two decades, starting as far back as 1999. Previous city officials went against city policy by ensuring Knight’s services weren’t disconnected despite his lack of payment and ultimately wrote off the amount he owed, arguably giving him “preferential treatment,” the 2020 report said.
When the state auditor recently followed up on the status of Knight’s written off balance, it found there had been no change since 2020. Brianna Kraemer, deputy communications director for the state auditor, said that unlike the other two council members, Knight’s outstanding balance is not active since it was written off.
“That said, the Auditor’s Office is not abandoning its accountability efforts in Rocky Mount, and Councilmember Knight should not be let off the hook,” Kraemer said.
More recently, Knight had more than $300 written off from two utility accounts last year, though he paid the original balances owed afterward, the report said.
CPP reached out to Knight’s office for comment, but he did not respond prior to publication.
Considering the recently discovered outstanding payments of the other council members, the auditor pointed to a “longstanding culture” among the City Council that “prioritized individual gain over the public interest,” the report said.
The findings couldn’t come at a worse time for the city, which is still recovering from a financial crisis first identified in a state audit earlier this year. As part of the city’s response to increase revenue, it hiked utility rates by 15%, the report said.
“While such measures are likely necessary, they can be unpopular with the public, and therefore it is incumbent on the governing body to reinforce the public understanding of the City’s commitment to its priority of sound management of public funds,” the report said.
“Thus, private actions that lend even an appearance contrary to that understanding put this priority at risk.”
After the revelations about City Council members, the auditor argued the council’s ability to lead the city through the remainder of its recovery is “diminished,” the report said.
However, Roberson said he’s as committed as ever to improving the city’s finances.
“For years before I got on the council, I have advocated for modernizing the utility billing system, improving transparency, strengthening internal controls, reducing unnecessary costs to utility customers, and ensuring that residents have confidence in the city’s billing practices,” Roberson told CPP. “I intend to continue that work.”
The report indicated the city’s total operating budget is $279 million — making $30,000 merely a drop in the bucket. But its documented financial issues mean it’s already on thin ice. The message from the state auditor and the LGC since March has been clear: there’s very little room to mess up again.
“Rocky Mount continues to face financial and personnel issues that need to be addressed,” State Auditor Dave Boliek said in a press release.
“The State Auditor’s Office will not stop providing much-needed transparency to the people of Rocky Mount, so that they can make informed, educated decisions on what’s best for their community.”
In addition to paying off outstanding utility balances, the auditor recommended that the city automate its bill scheduling process, correct its meter reading and billing schedules, and protect these schedules from unauthorized changes, the report said.
The city affirmed the auditor’s findings and said it has made “good-faith efforts” to address the auditor’s recommendations, having already completed some actions while others are still underway.
“Collectively, they demonstrate the city’s commitment to implementing meaningful corrective actions, strengthening governance and utility billing practices, enhancing internal controls, and ensuring compliance with applicable laws, policies, and industry best practices,” the city said in its response letter.
“The city believes that the actions already taken, along with those currently underway, will improve operational effectiveness, promote accountability, and support the continued restoration and enhancement of public confidence in City operations.”
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