Residents tell Rocky Mount council recycling pickup and abandoned‑house problems persist; tourism and hotel revenue questioned

Several Rocky Mount residents used the public‑comment period to raise neighborhood service issues and to ask for more information about tourism revenue and hotel development.

Peggy Hines, a resident of 210 North Vine Street in the city’s Happy Hill neighborhood, told the council her recycling has not been picked up and that she repeatedly must call city staff to report missed collections. “I put it out to the street, but no one's picking it up,” she said, adding she follows recycling rules and cleans and breaks down materials. Interim City Manager Peter Varney and staff representatives acknowledged the complaint and said staff would follow up.

Joanne Hines, also from the older section of Happy Hill, described abandoned houses and an increase in people living outdoors. “There are a lot of abandoned houses,” she said, and added an anecdote about a person asking for money on her porch. Council members responded that the city is working on a coordinated cleanup plan and encouraged residents to report specific locations so staff can respond.

Robert Stedemire, who said he lives at 308 Coleman Avenue, described damage to his vehicle caused by a large hole in a street on East Thomas or East Raleigh Boulevard. He said he has received estimates and wants the city to consider reimbursement. City staff asked for and recorded his contact information to follow up.

Nathalyn Ari of the Meadowbrook community asked how planned hotels and event‑center development will affect Edgecombe‑side revenue and whether Rocky Mount receives shares of Nash County lodging taxes. City staff explained that Nash County’s tourism development authority (TDA) administers a hotel‑occupancy tax in Nash County and that Rocky Mount receives a portion when hotel stays occur in Nash County; the TDA committee is appointed primarily by the Nash County Board of Commissioners and dollars are required to be spent in Nash County, staff said. Council members said they continue to advocate for investment in both sides of the city and described ongoing recruitment and infrastructure work to attract banks, drugstores and other services.

Separately, David Batts of the Phoenix Historical Society invited council members to an April 12 unveiling ceremony for a North Carolina Highway historical marker recognizing a 1996 community zoning campaign in the Kingsborough area; he invited members to view a documentary titled We Can Do Better at the East Carolina Agricultural and Education Center.

Council response: Council members acknowledged the breadth of citizen concerns and pledged follow‑up. Councilman Blackwell urged a one‑on‑one response to neighborhood complaints. Councilman TJ Walker and others described ongoing business‑attraction efforts and said the city will continue advocating for investment in Edgecombe County neighborhoods. No formal action was taken during public comment.