The City of Rocky Mount announced on Thursday that a network connectivity issue has temporarily disabled several municipal computer systems. Among the affected services is the online portal residents use to pay water, sewer and electric bills.
City response and timeline
According to a statement from the city’s technology department, staff have pinpointed the source of the problem and are collaborating with network support specialists to resolve it as quickly as possible. The department did not provide a specific time frame for full restoration but emphasized that restoring normal operations is the top priority.
No penalties for delayed payments
City officials reassured utility customers that any payment delays caused by the outage will not result in late‑fee assessments. “We understand the inconvenience this creates for our residents and want to ensure that no one is unfairly charged while we work to fix the issue,” the statement read.
Impact on other city services
While the utility payment portal is the most visible impact for the public, the city indicated that “several” other internal systems are also experiencing connectivity problems. These may include back‑office applications used by city staff for record‑keeping and internal communications. The city has not reported any interruption to essential public‑safety services such as police or fire dispatch.
What residents can do
In the meantime, residents who need to make urgent utility payments are encouraged to use alternative methods such as phone payments, mailed checks, or in‑person payments at the city hall office. The city’s website will be updated with any new information as the situation evolves.
Looking ahead
The city’s technology team plans to conduct a post‑incident review to identify any vulnerabilities in the network infrastructure and to implement safeguards that will reduce the likelihood of similar outages in the future. “We appreciate our customers’ continued patience and will provide additional updates as services are restored,” the statement concluded.
Original reporting: WRAL Raleigh — read the source article.
