December 2025 marked the end of a roughly 14-month process of a boundary adjustment between Franklin County and the Town of Rocky Mount. WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno has more on what it means for the town’s new residents.
The boundary adjustment adds about 700 acres to the Town of Rocky Mount as well as more than 500 new residents, roughly a 10-percent increase in population. Rocky Mount Mayor C. Holland Perdue III says this was a part of a larger deal that included money for a fire truck and water for the Summit view industrial park in the county.
“This was kind of just something that seemed like the right thing to do when you start looking at those areas, because you had certain neighborhoods that half were in town and half were not,” added Perdue.
Town services to the new residents will roll out overtime. Police patrols will start February 23rd. Street maintenance will transfer from VDOT to the Town on March 1st. And trash pick up starts March 17th. New residents that already have town water service will see a reduction in their water bill and Perdue says new residents that aren’t on town water will have to wait.
“We’re already working with legislators in Richmond on increasing funding here,” continued Perdue. “And we’ve got grant coordinators working on our more potential grants. There’s infrastructure work that has to be done. And so that’s going to take time. But over the course of the next two or three years, all that should roll out. I mean, it doesn’t happen overnight because obviously you’ve got to lay pipe.”
New residents will also be able to vote in the November town elections. Denise Allen Membreno WFIR News.
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The Town of Rocky Mount is growing through a voluntary boundary adjustment agreement with Franklin County. WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno has more.
Rocky Mount Mayor C. Holland Perdue III says the adjustment is a part of a larger deal that included water to the Summit View Industrial Park in Franklin County and money for a new fire truck. The process started in September of 2024.
“This is a voluntary boundary line adjustment between the town and the county,” said Perdue. “And so, the only approval that was needed is by the Franklin County Circuit Court after proper notices were given. And so we put the notices in the proper papers and then the circuit court approved the adjustment in December of 25.”
Services to the new residents will start to roll out this month with police patrolling the new neighborhoods beginning February 23. The town will assume street maintenance March 1st and trash pickup March 17th. Some of the new residents already have town water, service to new residents who are not on the water system requires infrastructure work such as laying pipe. Perdue says new residents will see their property change from the county rate to the town’s 13 cents per 100 dollars.
“New residents will receive a bill this year in the mail with a 0 balance, but that way it lets them know what their expected taxes will be the following year,” explained Perdue.
Perdue says the adjustment adds about 700 acres to the Town’s area and 500 to 600 new residents. Denise Allen Membreno WFIR News.
Media Release from the Town of Rocky Mount
For more information, contact:
Mark W. Moore, Assistant Town Manager
[email protected]
(540) 483-0907
For immediate release
January 22, 2026
Town & County Boundary Adjustment Finalized
(ROCKY MOUNT, Va.) – In September 2024, the Town of Rocky Mount and Franklin County entered into a boundary adjustment agreement that will increase the physical footprint of the Town, adding additional land and homes to the Town limits. That agreement started a lengthy process to adjust the Town boundaries, including new land survey work, public hearings, and, ultimately, court approval. In late December 2025, the new Town limits were approved by the court. Now that Town limits have been officially changed, Town staff will do the necessary work to incorporate the new residents into all town services. These services include weekly solid waste pickup, monthly bulk/yard waste pickup, police and fire
coverage, and water and wastewater utilities. As Town staff work to include new residents in these services, we want to make residents aware of the schedule for these services to begin. New residents will see some of the benefits of their new town citizenship very soon—these are listed below with a timeline for implementation:
– – – –
Town Water & Wastewater Rates – Some of the residents in the new areas are already Town water and wastewater utility customers, but they have been paying the out-of-town rate that is approximately double the in-town rate. Starting with the Town utility bill that is mailed out in late January (for water usage from mid-December to mid-January), any homes that were affected by the boundary adjustment will see their water bill decrease significantly due to their new in-town rate.
Police Services – New residents will start to see increased police patrols in these new areas of town on Monday, February 23rd.
Street Maintenance – Street maintenance will transfer from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to the Town on Sunday, March 1st. This includes maintenance (filling potholes, etc.), paving, and snow removal. There will be no lapses in street maintenance during this transition period.
Solid Waste Pickup – New town residents will be included in curbside solid waste pickup starting Tuesday, March 17th. New residents will have a new town-owned trash cart supplied to their home the week before the start date.
Fire Services – New town residents will continue to receive the same outstanding service and coverage from the Town’s volunteer fire department.
While there are many benefits of becoming a town resident, the extension of water and wastewater treatment lines to these homes will take more time to become a reality. The Town is working with engineers to map out line extensions for these new areas and seeking funding (including grants) to cover the large cost of these extensions and upgrades. This will allow residents in the new areas to connect to water and wastewater service if they do not already have those services. This will also raise property values, and these upgrades will prove to be incredibly beneficial for new residents—especially those with failing water wells or septic systems.
Rocky Mount is also working to solve several significant safety and quality of life issues related to ingress and egress in the Diamond Avenue Extension area. For many years, residents in that area have expressed concerns regarding access to the neighborhood given that there is only one road (Diamond Avenue) in and
out of the neighborhood, and that road is sometimes blocked by trains. The Town is working to find a solution so that emergency service vehicles can continue to get to residents in a timely manner and so that residents can come and go as they please. Finally, new residents will be able to vote in the next Town election which will take place on Tuesday, November 3rd.
Mayor C. Holland Perdue III said, “We are excited to welcome the new residents to Rocky Mount. They have already been part of the Rocky Mount community for decades because of their proximity to the town limits, but now we welcome them as official town residents. We look forward to making sure that they get
all the great services and benefits that come with being part of the Town.”
Town Manager Robert Wood said, “Town Council and staff are working to make sure that this transition is as smooth as possible. We are excited to see our town continue to grow and we will be sharing more information on Town services with all new residents soon.”
Note on property taxes: Town property taxes are thirteen cents ($0.13) per $100 of assessed value for real estate and fifty-one cents ($0.51) per $100 of assessed value for personal property (vehicles, etc.). As a benefit to new residents and because of the varied time frames for the full implementation of town services, the Town will be waiving the first year of these new taxes. These new taxes will likely be offset by a reduction in monthly utility bills due to significantly lower in-town utility rates.
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