With Councilman Greg Lawson absent, council unanimously agreed to an extension of the repayment period for water and sewer extensions made in the area for the entertainment district there.
City Finance Director MeLinda Hite told council the Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District will pay the city and the city will pay the commerce department.
She said approval of the extension by council would mean an OK by commerce of the plan, in which the sanitary district must repay more than $500,000 of a $1 million water and sewer grant in three installments.
The money must be repaid because of a lack of job creation in the Carolina Crossroads district.
Council originally discussed the matter in January after learning from the state only 42 jobs had been created in the entertainment district, those from the Hilton Garden Inn.
Part of the 2005 agreement leading to awarding of the grant was the commitment by the city to create 100 full-time jobs that would benefit from the installed water improvements, a memo on the matter in January said.
That means more than $500,000 of the money must be returned. "Because the job creation requirements were not met, $538,155 of the $1 million award must be returned to the Department of Commerce," the memo said. "Additional extensions from the Department of Commerce cannot be granted."
Of the $1 million awarded, $958,155.12 was spent on construction, planning and administration, the memo said. "At the time of the grant award, the Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District agreed to fund any payback requirement on behalf of the city of Roanoke Rapids if the job creation goals were not met.
"As we proceed through the Community Development Block Grant closeout project process, the city of Roanoke Rapids will coordinate with the Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District regarding the necessary return of grant funds."
Meanwhile today, Interim City Manager Ed Wyatt told council today was the first official day of the Brandy Creek de-annexation, which had previously been annexed into the city limits to pave the way for Carolina Crossroads.
Wyatt said there remain questions of police, fire and EMS response to the community which still must be addressed. He said until those questions are addressed no services will go lacking in the community.
There were several houses that were not designated by parcel in the bill which called for the de-annexation in the legislature, Wyatt said.
Interim Police Chief Jeff Hinton said he has spoken with county officials and has assured them until the kinks are worked out, the city will continue to provide emergency response services there.
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