September 25, 2025

Mayor announces workforce reduction, spending cuts, utility rate hikes ahead

Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson said Tuesday morning that in the last couple of years, the city spent millions of dollars more each month than what was collected and that there is a “serious challenge” facing the city’s financial future.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Roberson said that there is going to be a cost to pay, with a reduction in spending by the city, a reduction in the city’s workforce and increases in utility rates on the to-do list.

Roberson said that over the summer, the City Council directed City Manager Elton Daniels, who was promoted to the position in April, to conduct a comprehensive review of the city’s finances to ensure that the city was on solid footing.

“And we understand that many of you are frustrated and concerned,” Roberson said in the video. “We share those feelings. And while we cannot undo the past, we are determined to chart a responsible and transparent path forward.”

Roberson said that to stabilize finances, the city is going to freeze many capital projects.

Additionally, Roberson said that the city is going to eliminate non-essential travel, reduce spending on marketing, reduce the part time workforce by about half and lay off about 10 percent of the city’s full-time employees.