A recent state audit in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, has resolved concerns that residents were being double-billed for utilities. However, the audit also drew attention to more than $30,000 in total outstanding utility bills from two City Council members, Charles Roberson and T.J. Walker.

Utility Billing Concerns

The concerns over double-billing stemmed from a large gap between meter reading and billing dates, which was discovered in December 2025. The city’s Director of Business and Collections Services found that there were “unauthorized and undetected modifications” to the meter reading and billing schedules, leading to meter readings occurring earlier and earlier each month.

The audit found that the city was billing customers seven to 14 days after meter readings, and in some cases, 30 days afterward. This was in contrast to the North Carolina Utilities Commission’s guidelines, which instruct utilities to bill customers within roughly five days of the meter reading.

Outstanding Payments

The audit revealed that Council members Roberson and Walker had racked up more than $30,000 in total outstanding utility bills. Roberson had 30 utility accounts with a total outstanding balance of more than $27,000, while Walker had an outstanding balance on one utility account of more than $3,000.

Both council members have since paid off their outstanding balances. Roberson paid his bills and had a zero balance on his accounts as of June 9, while Walker paid his outstanding bills and had a zero balance as of June 16.

The audit’s findings have raised questions about the city’s financial management and the ability of the current council to lead the city through its recovery efforts. The city has faced pressure from the state Local Government Commission to fix serious financial problems, and the audit report emphasized that the city still has “little margin for error”.

Original reporting: Carolina Public Press — read the source article.