City Manager Joseph Scherer said he and city council members Carl Ferebee and Suetta Scarbrough expressed concerns about losing revenue from its privilege license tax if an expected cap is put on it by the state in 2015.

“Statewide (municipalities) are going to lose $62 million in revenues,” the city manager said. “We expressed our concerns.”

Scherer said there is talk that legislators have found a way to make up that revenue, which to Roanoke Rapids could mean a $300,000 revenue loss in 2015. “We reinforced to them to please make up that lost revenue.”

Meanwhile, Scherer said, the Historic Buildings Tax Credit is due to expire in 2015. “We asked them to extend that. It has a great impact on the avenue business district to help refurbish and renovate buildings. It has been used in the past to maintain and renovate property.”

The Town Hall Day is sponsored by the North Carolina League of Municipalities and draws elected officials, business and civic leaders, and municipal staff to Raleigh to personally visit state legislators and discuss issues of importance. About 600 municipal leaders from across the state attended Town Hall Day.

During Town Hall Day, attendees met one-on-one with their General Assembly representatives and heard from Gov. Pat McCrory, who spoke about the goals for his administration at the afternoon state agencies panel discussion with North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Tony Tata and Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development Pat Mitchell.

In addition, state Representative Tim Moore and state Senator Bob Rucho spoke to Town Hall Day attendees about legislative decisions affecting municipalities.

“Town Hall Day allows our Council to join with other city officials from around the state to express our needs and concerns to not only our representatives but to other key state legislators and state-level department heads who make decisions that affect our community” Scherer said in a statement.

“It’s necessary that our municipal officials are present in Raleigh,” said League President and Goldsboro Mayor Al King. “Our job as elected leaders is to represent our citizens and ensure the passing legislation is helpful to them.”