City Council to hold budget work session

The City Council will hold a work session on the proposed Fiscal Year 2024 budget at 4 p.m. today in the committee room on the third floor of the Frederick E. Turnage Municipal Building at 331 S. Franklin St.

The work session will be broadcast live on the city’s public access TV station – Channel 19 on the Optimum cable system. It will also be livestreamed on the city’s website – https://rockymountnc.gov/ – and the city’s YouTube page: www.youtube.com/@CITYTV19

City to temporarily switch water supply disinfectants

On an annual basis since 2003, the city of Rocky Mount has temporarily used a different disinfectant in its water supply. A conversion to chlorine will begin Thursday, June 1, 2023, and will last for up to 30 days to clear the system of ammonia, which can serve as food for certain microorganisms.

According to the American Water Works Association and the North Carolina Public Water Supply, switching to chlorine for up to a month per year is a recommended practice for water systems that use chloramine as a residual disinfectant.

Customers may notice a chlorine taste or odor in the tap water during the change. The water is safe for drinking, cooking, bathing and other uses. During this time, sampling and testing to monitor the effectiveness of the temporary switch to chlorine will be done.

Users of home kidney dialysis machines, owners of tropical fish aquariums and managers of stores and restaurants with fish and shellfish holding tanks are advised that the methods for testing and removing chlorine residuals differ from those used for chloramine residuals.

For more information, please contact Jim Connolly at 252-972-1336 or Utility Dispatch at 252-467-4800.

City asks residents to conserve water

As of Thursday, June 1, 2023, Voluntary Water Conservation Stage 1 will be in effect. During this stage of voluntary water conservation, the city asks customers to be mindful of their water usage and to conserve when possible.

The North Carolina Department of Water Resources requires the city to release 80 cubic feet per second – or approximately52 million gallons of water per day – from the Tar River Reservoir, which is the city’s primary source of water. During June through October, the NC Department of Water Resources allows the city to reduce the rate of release from the Tar River Reservoir to 70 cubic feet per second – or approximately 45 million gallons per day – provided that the city issues a Declaration of Voluntary Water Conservation.

The Declaration of Voluntary Water Conservation Stage 1 does not require water restrictions, but it serves as a reminder to all water customers that our water supply is seasonally vulnerable and that water conservation should be an everyday practice by all.

Denton Street Pool and Sunset Park Amusement Center to open during Memorial Day weekend

In a welcome sign that summer is fast approaching, the city of Rocky Mount’s Denton Street Pool and Sunset Park Amusement Center will open during the Memorial Day weekend.

Denton Street Pool, 1434 Denton St.

Residents will notice a host of improvements in the swimming pool, including new diving boards and water slides. The pool also was replastered, and its filtration system was replaced. Other amenities include zero-depth entry, eight 25-yard competitive lanes, spray elements and a bathhouse with a family dressing area.

The pool is open from 1:30 – 5:30 p.m. this Saturday, Sunday and Memorial Day. Operating hours for the rest of the season are as follows:

Early Season: Through June 11, 2023

Saturday and Sunday: 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Mid-Season: June 12 – August 11, 2023
Monday – Saturday: 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

Late Season: August 12 – September 4, 2023
Saturday and Sunday: 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Daily admission to the pool is $3 per person. Passes for unlimited usage until Labor Day are $40 for city residents and $60 for non-residents.

For more information, visit https://rockymountnc.gov/denton-street-pool/

Sunset Park Amusement Center, 1550 River Drive

The park’s historic miniature train, antique carousel, spray play water park and buggie kiddie ride also are open for Memorial Day weekend. Operating hours for this weekend are 1-7 p.m. Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday and 1-7 p.m. Monday.

The Amusement Center will be open daily once the school year ends. Admission is $5 per person.

For more information, visit https://rockymountnc.gov/parks-and-recreation/

Proposed city budget includes strategic investments with no tax increase

City Manager Keith Rogers Jr. has released his proposed budget for fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1. The $258,587,000 proposed budget represents an 8% increase over the adopted level for the current fiscal year. The city’s property tax rate would remain unchanged at 68.5 cents per $100 of assessed value.

The proposed budget includes rate increases of 7.5% for water services and 8.5% for sewer services, consistent with recommendations from a cost-of-service analysis presented to the City Council last fall. These rate increases would cost the average residential water and sewer customer $3.12 per month.

Investment in Our Organization

The proposed budget includes the funding necessary to implement the recently completed Classification & Compensation study. The new Classification & Compensation Plan includes:

• Raising the minimum hourly rate for city employees to the North Carolina living wage of $16.83 per hour (based on annual 2,080-hour equivalency)
• Market-driven competitive pay grades
• Increasing career ladder opportunities

The city’s “pay-for-performance” program for annual salary adjustments would continue under the proposed budget.

Planning for the Future – Today

In addition to maintaining $1.2 million in general fund appropriations to support affordable housing, the proposed budget addresses the need for “Planning for the Future – Today” by allocating $1 million for a citywide comprehensive plan update, downtown masterplan and comprehensive housing plan.

The proposed budget continues investments in facility improvements, technology enhancement, public safety, transportation, parks, and economic development. Among these investments are $10 million to replace Fire Station #2 and $2.25 million for renovations at the former Booker T. Washington High School campus.

The City Manager’s plan introduces the application of key strategic focus areas tied to input from the recent Executive Team retreat, City Council retreat and alignment with goals in the comprehensive plan:

• Best in Class Government
• Customer Service
• Public Health and Safety
• Economic Vitality
• Quality of Life

“Utilizing feedback from the community and City Council, my staff and I worked diligently to craft a plan that aligns strategic priorities with fiscal best practices,” stated Rogers in a letter submitting the proposed budget to City Council members.

A presentation on the proposed budget will be made during Monday’s 4 p.m. City Council meeting. A virtual town hall meeting focusing on the budget will be held on the city’s Zoom and YouTube platforms at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

City Council budget work sessions are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 25, and Wednesday, May 31. There sessions will start at 4 p.m. in the committee room on the third floor of the Frederick E. Turnage Municipal Building at 331 S. Franklin St.

A public hearing on the proposed budget will be held during the City Council’s regular meeting at 7 p.m. on June 12. The City Council is expected to adopt the budget during its regular meeting at 4 p.m. on June 26.

The proposed budget can be viewed here.

Summer fun! City-hosted free events start in May

An array of free special events hosted by the city starts this month and continues all summer long.

The popular Downtown Live! summer concert series returns to the lawn of the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 11, with Jim Quick & Coastline. A different band will take the stage every other Thursday through Aug. 31. Click here for this year’s schedule.

Lawn Chair Theatre also is back with a lineup of monthly movies to entertain the whole family, starting at dusk Friday, May 12, with “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” on the Imperial Centre lawn. Click here for more information.

The Tackle the Tar Family Fun Night takes place starting at 6 p.m. Friday, May 19, at Rocky Mount Stadium. The event features food trucks, games, live music and more. Click here to find out more.

Don’t miss the three-day Juneteenth Community Empowerment Festival, which is Eastern North Carolina’s premier celebration of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The event starts Friday, June 16, with a downtown block party and youth event at the Rocky Mount Event Center. Saturday will be filled with entertainment and the festival wraps up with a day of praise and gospel music on Sunday. Click here to get more information.

The End of Summer Celebration is set for 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. More details about this event will be made available later.

City warns customers to be cautious of scammers

Utility scammers work year-round. With the onset of the spring, the city of Rocky Mount is urging customers to be cautious of scammers. Utility scammers may falsely identify themselves as city employees and threaten to disconnect services unless the customer makes a payment over the phone. Scammers may also falsely claim to help customers save money on their energy bills as an attempt to gain personal information.

The city of Rocky Mount Business and Collections Services Department uses an automated calling system to remind customers of payments that are past due. However, this automated call will not provide the payment amount and due date. City of Rocky Mount employees will never demand immediate payment over the phone or ask a customer to meet them for payment. The automated calling system number is 1-866-288-7608.

The city will not instruct customers to wire funds. The only retail outlet authorized to accept city of Rocky Mount utility payments is Walmart. All other utility payments should be made directly to the city of Rocky Mount.

City of Rocky Mount employees will instruct the customer to call Customer Service at 252-972-1250 for possible assistance, or the toll-free number at 1-866-288-7608 if the customer wishes to make a payment over the phone using the automated system. Payments taken by phone with a customer service representative are at the customer’s request only when they call 252-972-1250.

City of Rocky Mount customers who suspect they have received a call from a scammer are urged to hang up immediately and call a Customer Service representative at 252-972-1250 to verify whether the city is attempting to contact them. Customers are also urged not to share any personal information with the scammers or return any phone calls.

If customers wish to pay their utility bills electronically, they may use the city’s online services at https://ipn.paymentus.com/rotp/crm to make the payment.

2022 wastewater systems annual performance report published

The City of Rocky Mount’s Tar River Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility maintained full compliance for all effluent limitations and monitoring requirements last year. 

The 2022 Wastewater Systems Annual Performance Report has been published and is available through the City’s Water Resources Department webpage and upon request from the Water Quality Services Division at (252) 972-1408.