Rocky Mount Follow-Up Audit Explains Double-Billing Confusion, Unpaid Bills By City Council Members

RALEIGH, N.C. — In response to public confusion and complaints over utility bills in Rocky Mount, and at the request of the Mayor and City Council, the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor (OSA) has completed a follow-up Information Systems Audit of the City of Rocky Mount.

In late 2025, thousands of Rocky Mount utility customers unexpectedly received two utility bills within a single month, raising concerns that the City was improperly charging residents. As detailed in the audit, city officials identified a significant gap between meter reading dates and the billing dates, which is why additional bills were sent.

Ultimately, the City’s actions to correct the billing delays did not cause customers to be double-billed, but were an attempt to eliminate the gap. After thorough review, OSA determined that the cause of the billing delays was unauthorized and undetected modifications to the City’s meter reading and billing schedules due to insufficient management, monitoring, and process controls.

OSA’s report also provides information on city council members accumulating unpaid utility bills. Councilmembers Charles “Verb” Roberson and T.J. Walker accumulated more than $30,000 in unpaid utility bills while continuing to receive utility services. Roberson, who had a total of 30 accounts, accumulated more than $27,000 in unpaid bills, and Walker more than $3,000. No penalties were assessed because the City paused late fees following the utility billing issue. It wasn’t until OSA sent the City a draft report for its response that the bills were paid.

The audit notes that “the fact that the City Council members with recurring unpaid balances continued to not post payment through April 2026, long after the event triggering the temporary pause occurred, suggests that they took advantage of this decision to further their own personal financial interests.”

“This new report details mistakes made by the City’s billing department that led to confusion regarding bills received by the public. It also shines a light on Rocky Mount officials who had delinquent bills,” said State Auditor Dave Boliek. “Rocky Mount continues to face financial and personnel issues that need to be addressed. 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.”

The report recommends the City combine utility meter reading and billing schedules, protect them from unauthorized modification, and engage with the billing system vendor to automate bill scheduling. The City’s response is included in the audit.