WRAL.com29%
Rocky Mount city leaders reviewing utility billing policy after family's death 13%
By Megan Cloherty15% WRAL11%
8/6/2026, 4:41:41 PM
Keywords: Rocky Mount, Utility Bills
BS Summary: This article contains 22 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Emotion, Anecdotal, and Actor-Observer Bias, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 20.9% saturation with 118 hits. Analysis detected 720 faulty-reasoning hits from 565 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 22.4% and a BS Rank of 13% (26,670 of 30,584 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 87.20% of the article peer group.
Rocky Mount leaders are responding to WRAL’s questions about the city’s recent utility disconnections.
Three members of the Swann family died after using a generator when their power was cut off.
The family was among nearly 300 Rocky Mount utility customers whose power was disconnected because of unpaid bills.
WRAL asked city and state leaders what they can do to help residents whose power is disconnected and who cannot afford to pay their bills in full.
State Rep.
Allen Chesser, R-District 25, said city leaders told him they are reviewing the utility billing system and how it serves customers who are struggling.
“What I would like to see is support — not so much for the city, but for the residents — from the state,” Rocky Mount resident Fatimah Jones said.
The only light in Jones’ home comes from her phone.
Her thermostat is set at 77 degrees, and she uses a fan to stay cool.
The power is on, but she is limiting her electricity use to keep her bill down.
“I don’t cook as much, and I’m usually known as the person who cooks,” Jones said.
“I keep the temp low.
I’m usually focusing on one part of the house, which is usually my bedroom.
I don’t watch TV.”
Jones is in a better position than some of her neighbors.
Rocky Mount resumed utility disconnections on July 20.
Under city policy, customers whose service is disconnected must pay their bills in full before power can be restored.
Clarence Mitchell entered a payment plan one day before his home was scheduled for disconnection.
He said he is grateful that his landlord is slightly reducing his rent so he can put more money toward keeping the lights on.
Mitchell said many residents are struggling.
“Real hard, because some people have bills like $2,000,” Mitchell said.
He said that is far more than most families who have fallen behind can afford to pay at once.
WRAL asked the city whether it has considered changing its policy to allow customers to make partial payments before service is restored.
WRAL also asked state leaders what role the state could play in helping residents.
Chesser said he spoke with Rocky Mount’s mayor and city manager, who told him they are reviewing customers’ experiences with the city’s billing system.
“My heart goes out to the Swann family,” Chesser said in a statement.
“Kenny, Tracey and Mahala were our neighbors, and Nash County is grieving with them.
The investigation is ongoing, so I will resist the urge to speculate before it is complete.
“This morning, I spoke directly with Rocky Mount’s city manager and mayor.
They told me they were in the process of reviewing how residents actually experience the utility billing process — not just what the written policy provides, but whether a customer in trouble can reach a person, understand their options and get on an arrangement in time for it to matter.
“They’re evaluating their procedures against best practices to build in more flexibility where it’s needed, and my office will be following up to check on the progress.
“Again, our prayers go out to the Swann family in this tragic time of loss.”
WRAL will continue pressing city and state leaders for answers about the utility disconnections and what assistance may be available to struggling residents.
Speakers
3speakers57%attributed speech242writer words
Selected voice
100%flagged-word coverageAllen Chesser
195 attributed words60% of attributed speech63% writer coverage
Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.
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Analysis
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