Harrell introduced as Rowland interim administrator

ROWLAND — Steve Harrell was introduced as Rowland’s new interim town administrator during the town’s monthly Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday.

Harrell was brought in by the Local Government Commission (LGC), which voted on Oct. 6 to take control of the town’s finances, a move meant to ensure the town’s bills get paid and services for its citizens continue as the town works through financial troubles.

“He’s not here to hurt this town, he’s here to help it,” Mayor Robert McDougald said. “He possesses the knowledge, skills and ability, when it comes to the financial matters and some of the financial issues that we are experiencing right now, and he will be a benefit to the town.”

Harrell retired in 2020 after a lengthy career in municipal administration, most recently serving as town manager in Ayden. Since retirement, he has worked as an interim manager or administrator in seven other municipalities before recently beginning his new role in Rowland.

“I’m looking forward to working and helping the board, and getting Rowland rolling again,” Harrell said in Tuesday’s meeting.

The LGC voted Nov. 4 to formally begin the process to determine whether Rowland can be financially rehabilitated or ultimately dissolved. McDougald is confident that the process will help the town to ultimately continue to operate.

“That is the reason why Steve is here, and I’m really glad he’s here, because hopefully we can see our way through this thing, and once we get back on a financial footing we should be OK,” McDougald said.

Robeson County Commissioners Wixie Stephens and Judy Sampson are also providing their guidance to the town through this period; both were present at Tuesday’s meeting. County Manager Kellie Blue has also been “helpful,” the mayor said.

“When I did hear about the situation with Rowland, we got on it,” Stephens said. “We had a county commissioners meeting and said ‘we can’t let it happen. We can’t this town go down.’ … We’re going to be here, we’re going to support you, and we’re going to see Rowland rolling.”

Stephens and Sampson are working with a developer to “spearhead” a project that is expected to include several houses, described as moderate-income, cottage-style homes, as well as a new Food Lion store, McDougald said, with a letter of intent from the developer secured this week. The town currently does not have a grocery store.

“This is actually just the beginning of what we’re going to try with economic development,” McDougald said. “We’ve got lots of ideas, and they know so many people who have heard about the situation we’re in.”

McDougald also said that he and Harrell have submitted a request to the LGC for the town to continue to provide funding to the organizers of the Rowland Christmas parade, saying they are waiting to hear back but “hopefully we’ll be able to do as we always do” and help provide that financial support for the event.

The parade is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28.

In other business, the board approved a motion for its meetings to formally be scheduled on the second Tuesday of each month. That has been its regular meeting time for decades, but it is not written in any statute. This motion was made to formally schedule the upcoming December meeting; a formal schedule for the board’s 2027 meetings will be considered soon.

The board also approved for a potential new Girl Scout troop in the town to be allowed to hold its meetings at the town’s Senior Center, free of charge.