Rocky Mount staff says billing timing error affected about 26,000 accounts; council presses for fixes and outreach

City staff told the Rocky Mount City Council at a special called committee meeting that a timing error in the utility billing process affected about 26,000 customer accounts and produced closely spaced bills for some residents.

Latasha Hall, director of Business and Collection Services, said staff identified a growing gap between meter read dates and bill dates that began at a small scale earlier in 2025 and widened by December. "Customers were not double billed," Hall said, adding that customers were charged only for the usage recorded and that the city would not assess late fees or disconnect service as a result of this issue.

Christine Smith, business operations manager, provided a technical clarification: "No one has been billed for the same usage period. There have been two bills but they reflect two separate usage periods," she said. Staff showed a sample statement to illustrate how read dates, bill dates and due dates had drifted…