Rocky Mount leaders hope a three-day conference at a luxury resort in Virginia will generate new ideas for improving the city’s utility system, which has become a contentious issue amid the city’s longstanding financial troubles.
Several Energy Resources employees and at least two City Council members traveled to Hot Springs, Virginia, for the 2026 ElectriCities conference, a gathering for municipal public power utilities in North Carolina. It is being held at the Omni Homestead Resort, a four-star hotel in Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains.
It comes as city residents face increased utility rates as a direct result of the city’s financial distress uncovered by state auditors.
“What we hope to bring back from this conference is some ideas of other systems, whether that’s systems for electric metering, whether that’s how they implement new billing techniques,” Bradley Walters said, the director of energy resources for Rocky Mount.
Walters acknowledged the optics of the trip when asked by WRAL News on the conference’s opening day. However, he noted that staff typically attend the annual conference and that this year’s gathering fell outside travel and training restrictions that had been in place for several months.
“I’m not thrilled about the location myself,” he added.
A city spokesperson cited the need for both city staff and elected officials to attend trainings and opportunities such as the ElectriCities conference.
“This conference includes programming specifically for elected officials, along with separate sessions for city and town managers and key municipal staff. That structure provides each group with information and perspectives relevant to their respective responsibilities in the governance, management and operation of a public power utility.”
More than 1,500 Rocky Mount customers have entered into payment arrangements for their utility bills.
Rocky Mount, which has dealt with billing issues for months, recently started charging customers late fees and shutting off power for some customers who had unpaid bills. The conference comes just days after three Rocky Mount residents died in a home after the home’s electricity had been shut off. The family said the city shut off their power despite attempts to partially pay a percentage of what the family owed on their electricity debt.
When asked if there was consideration for topics like partial payments, Walters noted billing is a topic discussed at the ElectriCities conference.
“Those policies are truly authored in a separate department than energy resources. Any ideas we bring back from this conference in regards to better ways to prepare customers to pay, technology that can be utilized, we’ll collaborate with the city’s management team,” Walters said.
A city spokesperson cited the 2026-27 fiscal budget, which cut expenditures by approximately $16 million.
“Responsible stewardship requires careful management of City resources while also ensuring that officials and staff responsible for major municipal operations have the information necessary to make informed decisions.”
Walters also acknowledged energy resources could improve education for Rocky Mount residents, and how many people may be unaware the electric utility is separate from the department that handles its billing. Also, leadership training to address vacancies within the department.
Rocky Mount city council member Lige Daughtridge shared with WRAL he “raised concerns” about the budgeted travel set aside for city council and the mayor, though they were “ignored.”
WRAL confirmed Rocky Mount’s mayor was not in attendance at the ElectriCities conference.
