Rocky Mount City Council votes for corrective actions in emergency meeting in wake of audit

WRAL's Bryan Mims has the latest on an emergency-called meeting by the Rocky Mount City Council on Tuesday in response to the audit done and the allegations that came from it.
Posted 5/26/2020, 10:55:04 PM

AND IT ALLOWED EVERYONE TO STAY

AT LEAST 6 FEET APART WHILE

SOLVING THE END OF THE HOLY

MONTH OF RAMADAN

>>> THE ROCKY MOUNT CITY

COUNCIL HAD AN EMERGENCY

MEETING TODAY TO RESPOND TO A

STATE AUDIT THAT SHOWED CITY

OFFICIALS BENT OR BROKE RULES

OF EACH OTHER AND LEFT

TAXPAYERS ON THE HOOK THIS

AUDIT CAME AFTER MORE THAN

TWITTER CALLS WERE MADE TO THE

STATE AUDITOR'S OFFICE OR THE

OFFICE HOTLINE RATHER AND BRYAN

MIMS WAS AT THE MEETING WERE

COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTED ON

CORRECTIVE ACTION.>>REPORTER:

OUTSIDE OF THE ROCKY MOUNT CITY

HALL SIZE APPEARED ON THE

SIDEWALK, CROOKS ON THE COUNCIL

AND ANDRE WILL LEAVE THE LIGHTS

ON FOR YOU BUT THAT IS A

REFERENCE TO MAYOR PRO TEM

ANDRE NIGHT AND IN A STATE

REPORT THAT SHOWED HE NEVER

PAID $47,700 IN UTILITY BILLS

AND THAT VARIOUS CITY OFFICIALS

WROTE OFF THE BILLS SO AS POWER

WOULD NOT GET CUT AFTER THE

AUDIT MAYOR ROBERTSON CALLED ON

HIM TO RESIGN AND PAY BACK THE

CITY BUT HIS SUPPORTERS

SOMEWHAT MAKE CITY HALL WHITE

HATS AGAIN STOOD OUTSIDE.>>

.0003% OF THE ENTIRE AUDIT THAT

IS COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS THEY

TRY TO PULL THIS OUT AS THE

PREDOMINANT FINDING.>> I NEVER

SOUGHT NOR RECEIVED SPECIAL

TREATMENT OR PRIVILEGE.>> TODAY

SPECIALLY CALLED COUNCIL

MEETING NUMBERS VOTED 7-2 ON

CORRECTIVE ACTIONS PROPOSED BY

CITY OFFICIALS, REITERATING

WHAT THE STATE AUDITOR CALLED

ON THE CITY TO DO.>> PROCESS

IMPROVEMENTS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS.

THAT IS BEEN WHAT WE HAVE

DONE.>> CITY MANAGER SAID SHE

HAS ESTABLISHED A SINGLE,

CENTRALIZED DEPARTMENT FOR BILL

COLLECTIONS THAT REPORTS

DIRECTLY TO HER AND IS OVERSEEN

BY AN INTERNAL AUDITOR THE CITY

MANAGER HERSELF WAS A FOCUS OF

THE STATE AUDIT SHE WAS FOUND

TO HAVE SPENT NEARLY $1600 IN

TRAVEL MEAL EXPENSES WHICH

INCLUDED STEAK AND LOBSTER SHE

SAID THEY WERE A REASONABLE

ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL

CONDITION.

THE AUDIT PROP TO THE MAYOR TO

WRITE A CONTRACT WITH THE CITY

SAYING THAT ALL COUNCILMEMBERS

WILL COMMIT TO ETHICAL

BEHAVIOR.

THIS CITY COUNCIL EVER SAYS IT

IS NECESSARY.>> THERE IS A LOT

OF DOUBT IN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT

NOW OVER THIS BODY, LIKE IT OR

NOT, IT IS A FACT.

NOT EVERYBODY BUT A LOT.

>> THE STATE AUDITOR ALSO

DETERMINE THE CITY'S

ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT COST

TAXPAYERS AN EXTRA $31,000 AND

LETTING A DEVELOPER HALT WORK

ON A SUBDIVISION WITHOUT

FINISHING REQUIRED UPGRADES IN

RESPONSE THE CITY HAS FORMED A

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