Embattled Rocky Mount leaders given final warning

(The Center Square) – Embattled leaders of a North Carolina city on Wednesday pledged a plan and understanding of their financial crisis to a state oversight commission.

The Local Government Commission was direct: straighten out the city finances, or it will.

“Were the city of Rocky Mount not to be able to continue as a going concern would certainly be the largest failure of a municipality in the history of the state of North Carolina,” first-term Republican state Auditor Dave Boliek told city officials at a meeting of the state Local Government Commission. “I wasn’t elected to manage Rocky Mount or make decisions for Rocky Mount.”

If the Local Government Commission has to assume control of the day-to-day operations of the city, “I view that as a failure of the politically elected leadership.”

He warned city elected officials that with a state takeover, they would no longer be able to make decisions about the operation of the city.

“My recommendation and my sort of expectation would be that we would...