Residents wanting to know what the specifics are in the city’s proposed operating budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year are going to have to wait a bit longer.
During the City Council’s work session on Monday afternoon, the council majority informally agreed not to hear a proposed budget presentation from City Manager Keith Rogers Jr. at the council’s regular meeting held later that evening.
Instead, there is going to be another council work session at 10 a.m. May 28 in the council conference room about the specifics of the proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The plan is for the council members to work through the day until they finish reviewing the proposed budget and go from there in terms of a future budget schedule.
During the council’s work session Monday afternoon, council members and Mayor Sandy Roberson spent about 45 minutes discussing the issue.
The council is faced with having to approve a balanced spending plan for municipal operations by the start of July and must allow a time for public input.
“I’m feeling nervous because I feel like we are behind — and I felt like we were way ahead or had a chance to be way ahead,” Roberson said at one point in the discussion about the budget process.
Councilmen Andre Knight and Reuben Blackwell on Monday were both critical of the planned roll out of the proposed budget.
Knight said that he met with Councilman Lige Daughtridge, who as mayor pro tempore chairs council work sessions, Roberson and Rogers to get detailed information about the proposed budget. Knight said that the plan was to report back to the full council, but he made clear that he believes those meetings have not been successful.
Knight said that some of the information he and other council members requested was either provided late or not provided at all — and he noted that he and other council members have been requesting some information since January.
During the work session Monday afternoon, Blackwell, who participated via teleconferencing, made clear that “We’re in a crunch” and that the proposed budget has a lot of variables, including the ongoing revaluation process in Edgecombe and Nash counties that affects the future property tax rate in Rocky Mount.
Blackwell also said that money is coming via the federal government and via the N.C. General Assembly. Blackwell also said that lots of development is occurring within communities, that there is a renewed focus on downtown and that there is much interest in having development around the Rocky Mount Event Center.
Blackwell said the narrower amount of time now for the budgeting process “feels very intentional to me.”
Blackwell said that he is not making any accusations.
“I’m just saying how it feels,” he said. “It feels intentional to push us to take an action without having full discussion and opportunity from the elected body with our top executive and his team.”
Roberson early in the discussion said that he thought the plan had been for a small group to work a bit more nimbly, dig a bit deeper and provide answers to all the questions so that there is a comfort level about the proposed budget.
“And, so, if we’re saying that we’re pressed against time, then let’s just open it up and have the bigger conversation — and it’s just going to take longer,” Roberson said.
“I mean, it takes a lot of time to get in and do this and do it right,” Roberson said.
Rogers did not comment as the discussion was in progress.
Daughtridge said over the phone later Tuesday that a subgroup consisting of him, Roberson, Knight and Councilman Tom Harris met earlier that day with some city staffers in the council conference room and planned to meet again Wednesday in the conference room.
Rogers had planned to present the proposed budget at Monday evening’s regular council meeting and for the document to be published the next day via the city’s website.
Rogers also had proposed, subject to the City Council’s consent, an online town hall-like meeting for 7 p.m. May 20 with a council work session about the proposed budget to follow at 4 p.m. June 10 and for a public hearing on the budget to coincide with the 7 p.m. regular council meeting that same day.
Rogers also had proposed, with the council’s consent, that the council adopt a budget at the 4 p.m. June 24 regular council meeting.
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