Speed, North Carolina, a small town in Edgecombe County, is poised to dissolve due to mounting financial pressures, potentially ceasing to exist as a municipal entity by June 30, 2026. The town’s commissioners are now tasked with devising a plan to distribute its assets and liabilities, a process initiated by years of dwindling resources and an inability to sustain essential services.
The impending dissolution impacts roughly 400 residents, many of whom are elderly, and marks a rare instance of a North Carolina town voluntarily relinquishing its charter. Speed’s struggles highlight the challenges faced by small, rural communities across the state grappling with economic hardship and shrinking tax bases. The town must determine the future of its infrastructure,including town-owned roads,streetlights,and,critically,trash service – a service not currently provided by Edgecombe County.
“The town faces logistical issues,” said Mayor pro Tem Kelly Randolph. “We have until June 30, 2026, to develop a plan to distribute its assets and liabilities.” Randolph noted the lack of county-provided trash pick-up will disproportionately effect senior citizens,and while options like homeowners associations are being considered,no concrete solutions are yet in place.
The town, characterized by its surrounding cotton fields, has long been a close-knit community.Resident john Harrison described his neighbors as a ”community of togetherness,” emphasizing the personal connections that define life in Speed. Despite the looming changes, Harrison believes the town’s spirit and its name will endure.
While the town’s financial woes are the catalyst for dissolution, residents acknowledge a sense of inevitability. “After all, not much changes in Speed,” the Carolina Public Press reported. The decision to dissolve is a pragmatic response to unsustainable financial realities, a move that will see Speed’s functions absorbed by Edgecombe County.
