Goldsboro council accepts $500,000 Brownfields grant, approves policing grants, SRO pay bump and public‑decency ordinance

Goldsboro — At its only July meeting the Goldsboro City Council voted unanimously to accept a $500,000 Brownfields assessment grant, authorized police to apply for two Department of Justice grant programs and approved a supplemental operating budget that includes funding for School Resource Officer pay incentives and the Chamber of Commerce agreement.

The Brownfields award "is a $500,000 grant that allows the city to select city‑owned sites and also other private sites for assessment purposes," City Manager Mike Livingston told council as he presented item 8.1. He said downtown development staff are managing the grant and that an RFP for environmental services is out or forthcoming.

Why it matters: Brownfields assessments identify possible contamination, loosen barriers to redevelopment and can unlock site‑specific cleanup funding or redevelopment strategies. Council members said the grant can be used citywide, not only downtown.

The council then approved two policing grant actions. Police Chief Steve West described a COPS (Office of Community Oriented Policing Services) community policing micro‑grant the department plans to request for $175,000 to buy a patrol…