State representative says lawmakers are monitoring Rocky Mount, eyes reappropriation of $8.5M

Representative Alan Chester gave a brief legislative update at the end of the retreat, telling the Rocky Mount City Council that the state is following the city’s fiscal situation and that lawmakers are discussing ways to help within existing budget rules.

“We are looking at the 8 and a half million dollars that we gave you guys in a 2023 budget,” Chester said, describing a remaining balance the legislature could reappropriate toward pressing local needs. He emphasized that any state assistance would be targeted and would carry increased oversight: “No money that I give you will be unrestricted,” he said.

Chester also said the county had secured a larger grant for sewer and water projects and that about $3 million of that sum had already been appropriated to Rocky Mount. He said state partners and the city manager were working to determine which projects could be reallocated to reduce near-term cash requirements.

Chester urged continued collaboration among the city manager, the state treasurer’s office, and the LGC and said he would follow the situation closely. He did not promise unrestricted operating support, and he said any reappropriation decisions would include accountability measures to ensure funds are spent for specified, capital or near-term needs rather than general operations.

The council asked follow-up questions about which encumbrances could be reallocated and how tied allocations for judicial center or affordable housing would be handled; Chester said remaining balances would be examined and reallocated where appropriate, subject to legislative rules and required tracking.