Robersonville regains control of town’s finances from state

RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN) - The Town of Robersonville has regained control of the town’s finances from the State Local Government Commission.

According to the Department of the State Treasurer (DST) in Raleigh, the Local Government Commission (LGC) voted on Tuesday to remove Robersonville from the list of local government units under their financial control and return bookkeeping and fiscal affairs to town staff.

According to DST in 2020, the town had failed to submit two consecutive annual audits as required, did not maintain an accounting system to detail assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenditures, didn’t comply with generally accepted principles of government accounting, and didn’t create a plan to remedy the issues.

The LGC impounded the town’s books and assumed control of its financial affairs on Oct. 6, 2020. The commission, which is staffed by the Department of State Treasurer (DST) personnel, then worked with town officials on an action plan to correct the deficiencies.

State Treasurer and LGC Chairman Dale Folwell recognized Robersonville’s mayor after the committee voted.

“We have 549 mayors in North Carolina. Mayor Brown stands out because she came before the commission in 2020 and thanked the LGC staff for making a difficult choice that was in the best interest of her town and her constituents,” Treasurer Folwell said. “When she ran for mayor, she had no idea the town was in the condition it was in. Through tough choices, discipline, and communication with our staff, she and other town officials reversed course. They determined what was right, how to get it right, and are now on course to keep it right.”

“We weren’t expecting to have to surrender our town to the state, but I am glad that we went through what we went through because it makes us better and stronger, and it just shows that we are resilient. And this is just the beginning,” Mayor Brown said. Town officials are excited to resume authority over their affairs, “as much as we love you guys and we appreciate everything,” she said.