Roanoke Rapids City Attorney Geoffrey Davis said he believes the next steps following a state Court of Appeals ruling over 911 funding are for the city and county to discuss "where we go from here."

Both Davis and County Attorney Glynn Rollins have discussed the matter with their respective elected officials in closed session.

The appeals court ruled earlier this month that neither the city nor county have standing in a civil complaint over 911 center funding.

“Unfortunately, the court’s opinion doesn’t exactly resolve the underlying issues,” Davis said following Tuesday’s city council meeting. “I certainly wouldn’t characterize it as unfavorable to the city. There may be a couple of negatives in there, but it doesn’t resolve the final issue completely.”

Davis said he believes both sides are amenable to talking. “That said, I don’t think we necessarily have a destination in mind.”

He said any final resolution will have to come before both boards for a vote. “It wouldn’t be something that could be done behind the scenes. It has to be something that would be done in public.”

The matter came to the Court of Appeals in June 2023 after a superior court judge in January 2022 ruled that the city must continue its support of the 911 Center.

The court’s conclusion was that because neither party had standing, the superior court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to issue a declaration of rights and obligations.

The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s order denying the city’s motion for summary judgment and also reversed the superior court's order granting summary judgment to the county on its counterclaim, the ruling says, leaving the question of funding responsibility unresolved.