Town of Hertford tells their story (Part 2)

Part 2: Revitalizing Downtown and Strengthening Town’s Financial Position

In Part 1, we explored how Hertford used its ARP allocation to meet urgent needs—securing essential equipment for public safety; however, the town’s vision doesn’t stop at meeting today’s demands. In this article, we look at how Hertford is building toward a stronger tomorrow through strategic investments in revitalization, grant partnerships, and smarter financial tools.

In addition to the direct impact of ARP dollars, Hertford found further ways to benefit the town with these funds, including taking part in the League’s Municipal Accounting Services (MAS) grant-writing program which is also funded by the American Rescue Plan. This program connects towns with Witt O’Brien’s grant management team to guide them in the preparation and submission of successful grant applications. Hertford worked with this team to apply for the Rural Downtown Economic Development grant (RDEDG) from the N.C. Department of Commerce, which aims “to support downtown revitalization and economic development initiatives” that will help towns grow and flourish.

In 2024, Hertford purchased the historic State Theater, originally built in 1937, but it has remained vacant since 1960. The town planned to rehabilitate the theater, revitalizing it as a historic downtown landmark, but needed the funds to make that project a reality. Teaming up with the League and Witt O’Brien’s, Hertford submitted a strong application and was one of 10 towns chosen to receive the RDEDG grant. In addition, Hertford was one of only two towns to receive the maximum award of $850,000 to support the restoration of this building.

“If it were not for Witt O’Brien’s I do not know if we would have been able to get the full dollar amount,” Doris Walton, Hertford’s interim town manager, said. “Given where we are as a town, what we are looking to do to move forward, our visions for the future, our economic development for downtown … the League has helped this small town beyond what we can honestly say.”

Walton explained how the grant-writing assistance helped them tailor their application to this specific RDEDG grant. Successful grant-writing involves more than simply answering the questions, and she shared how the program helped them to put in the extra effort needed, ultimately securing the full grant amount and helping the town take a big step forward in its plans for economic growth.

“We are beyond grateful for this program. At a time where we are rebuilding and the League to offer that service to us—I can't put a value on it,” Walton said.

Finally, the town chose to take part in the League’s MAS software conversion program. This program includes a complete migration from a town’s financial accounting software platform to a new platform hosted by Black Mountain Software (BMS), which is specifically designed with small-town governments in mind. In addition to moving to this new platform, both MAS team members and BMS customer service representatives are available to towns to walk them through the process and provide best practices for a town’s financial staff.

Ashley Eure, Hertford finance officer, explained how the town was struggling previously with getting the assistance needed when any issues arose with the town’s software platform or when she had a finance-related question.

“Having that help and having somebody there to help you, to guide you, that has been tremendous for us,” Eure said. “Nowadays, it is hard to find help … it is hard to find training … and the League has really stepped in on both of those.”

Hertford began the conversion process in spring 2023 and officially made the transition to the new software in September 2023, becoming one of the first towns to complete the MAS software conversion program. After spending 18-months with the software system and learning alongside the League’s accounting mentors, town staff feels they have grown in their understanding and abilities.

“I don't know if I could do my job without them and what I've learned from them. [The League] does not just tell you [the answer—they] explain to you why,” Eure said. “The MAS program has really helped [our town], and I hope they will be able to continue to help more towns.”

Hertford has benefitted greatly from the ARP funds, both by utilizing the dollars distributed to the town directly and by taking part in the League’s MAS program offerings. By making the most of these unprecedented opportunities, the town is investing in the future of Hertford and preparing for continued growth.