Ronda residents could soon get a say in whether the Wilkes County town should continue to exist. The board of commissioners voted this week to ask state lawmakers to put the question on the November ballot.
Kevin Reece, Ronda’s acting mayor, says the idea came up in part because the town can’t afford to pay its bills.
“We're losing $25,000 a month,” he says. “If we cut out every service we provide the people, we still can't make up the $25,000.”
If the town was dissolved, Reece says some services, like park maintenance would likely be absorbed by the county. Others, like trash collection, residents would be responsible for.
Reece says leaders are still trying to understand how exactly the financial situation became so dire, but it’s clear that the town’s failing water system ate up a large chunk of the budget.
“Water lines that were old have continued to fail consistently, and the repairs of those water lines and the delays of getting them repaired because we don't have the equipment nor the staff have greatly eaten up the general fund,” he says. “And it's just been an ongoing cycle.”
The town’s longtime financial consultant, Michael Boaz, stepped down in May. Days later, he was indicted on felony embezzlement charges as town manager in Pilot Mountain.
The board is working with the state treasurer’s office and League of Municipalities to assess the town’s books. Reece says he expects state lawmakers will decide within two weeks whether to put the dissolution referendum on the ballot.