Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Grant Allocation Housing Judicial Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rocky Mount staff outline plan to spend $8.5 million state allocation on housing and judicial center; 17‑month spending deadline noted
Summary
City staff presented a proposed plan to use an $8.5 million allocation from the North Carolina state budget — $4 million for housing and $4.5 million for a judicial center project — and warned the funds must be spent by June 30 next year; staff proposed specific allocations and asked council approval to submit scopes of work to the state.
City staff told Rocky Mount council members they plan to submit scopes of work to the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) for an $8.5 million state allocation and outlined how the funds could be used for affordable housing programs and the planned judicial center. Staff emphasized the allocation must be spent by June 30 of next year and presented a near-term spending plan to meet that deadline.
“...the funds have to be spent by June 30th next year,” a city presenter said, explaining the city has roughly 17 months to obligate and spend the money. The allocation was described as coming from the 2023–2025 state budget and, in the city’s prior actions, $4,000,000 had been assigned to an affordable housing initiative and $4,500,000 to the judicial center project.
Staff outlined a proposed housing-side distribution if the council confirms continuing to set aside $4,000,000 for housing. They recommended using $2,250,000 over the next 17 months for already approved affordable housing programs — urgent repairs, a housing-rehab grant, and a housing rebate program — and allocating up to $250,000 for temporary administrative support in the Department of Community Development to process reimbursements and contracts quickly.
For homeless-support nonprofit facilities, staff proposed a subgrant pool of $1,300,000 to assist local nonprofits (United Community Ministries, My Sister's House, The Lighthouse, and Ripple Effects were named) with renovations or acquisition to address facility condition and capacity. Staff also proposed setting aside about $200,000 to support regional planning and a local continuum-of-care plan led by United Way, and said these funds would be used for immediate, mission-critical facility needs rather than building entirely new shelters.
Council members asked whether the city had requested an extension for the spending deadline; staff said at the time of the meeting no extension had been requested but that they could investigate the possibility. Council members also expressed concern that dividing the $1,300,000 among multiple nonprofits could leave each organization with limited funds for large capital projects and urged careful prioritization and sustainability planning.
On the judicial center side, staff described an estimated use of the $4,500,000 already appropriated: roughly $250,000 for remaining property acquisitions, about $500,000 for demolition and site remediation, and approximately $1,000,000 for full-campus project design including parking and utilities so that site infrastructure would be in place for future building construction. Staff said they have discussed feasibility with the Department of Central Services and believe the listed site work and design tasks can be completed within the spending window.
Staff asked the council for direction to finalize scopes of work and submit them to OSBM so the city can receive a grant agreement for council review by the end of February. During procedural business after the two major items, the council voted to go into closed session for attorney-client privilege and a personnel matter; the motion carried on an affirmative voice vote.
