Goldsboro · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Goldsboro public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Central Gardens Phase 2 Annexation
The city annexed 51 acres of its own vacant wooded land on Royall Avenue — a "donut hole" inside the city limits — so services and boundaries are clear. No residents are affected since the city owns the land.
Inspection Fee Increases Proposed
A proposed ordinance would update inspection fees in the city's FY26-27 fee manual — this could change what builders and homeowners pay for permits and inspections.
Summit Road Conditional Zoning (CZ-04-26)
Generation Village seeks to rezone its Summit Road property to residential — the change would affect what can be built between Ridgecrest Drive and North Oak Forest Road.
Tommy's Road Conditional Zoning (CZ-03-26)
Brock Works LLC wants to change its Tommy's Road property from residential to Highway Business conditional zoning — neighbors may weigh in on what commercial uses could arrive.
Customer Convenience Fees and Xpress Bill Pay
The council will consider an agreement with Xpress Bill Pay — this affects how residents pay city bills and what convenience fees they may be charged.
Union Station Stabilization
The historic Union Station hit its $750,000 fundraising goal with 126 donors, unlocking Wayne County's $375,000 match and completing the $1.5 million stabilization budget. Stabilization work can proceed, keeping the downtown landmark alive for future use.
McLain Street/Hwy 70 Annexation and Rezone
A pair of linked hearings: bringing land near the Park East Industrial Park into the city and rezoning it. Growth here could shape development along the Highway 70 corridor.
The Fallon conditional rezoning (East Ash Street)
Council denied a proposed convenience store (no gas pumps) at 1515 East Ash Street after staff said it clashes with the office-institutional character of the corridor. Supporters said the store would help nearby residents — including a handicapped commenter — who need late-night essentials.
Sheridan Forest Worship Center rezoning
Sheridan Forest Worship Center seeks to rezone its property at 126 Sheridan Forest Road from Residential 20A to Office and Institutional-1, presumably to support its religious facility. The change affects what uses are allowed on the site.
Proposed Census Residency Changes and Military Undercount
A proposed rule change would count service members at their tax-filing residence, not where they live — potentially costing Goldsboro population and funding tied to Seymour Johnson AFB. A resolution may come next meeting.
Sewer System Condition and $205M Capital Needs
A resident reported that a new $300,000 home built through the Rebuild grant program has flooded repeatedly from sewer backups, with street-level sewage leaks, and a $1,200 pipe fix the homeowner may have to bear. He asked the city to coordinate inspections and engineering for future grant homes.
Regional Wastewater System with Wayne County
Goldsboro has been studying how to regionalize sewer service with five other Wayne County municipalities for three years. The hang-up was governance: a new regional authority would have diluted the city's control despite it contributing 85% of flow. The council picked the city-led "Option B" model and told staff to keep negotiating with willing towns.
Street Pavement Preservation Program
The council awarded this year's $1.07 million pavement preservation contract and rolled the $136,538 savings into next year's program, on top of $2 million earmarked in the draft budget. Residents consistently rank street conditions as their top concern.
PFAS Treatment Funding
The city landed another $500,000 grant to keep testing PFAS treatment methods at the wastewater plant, on top of a prior $500,000 award — with $33 million in larger water infrastructure funding also in the pipeline.
Unified development ordinance update
A new state law forces Goldsboro to delete all minimum parking requirements from its development code by January 1, 2027 — council members protested but had no legal choice.
Community Supporting Schools Funding Oversight
CSS had to pull its reading-buddy program from North Drive Elementary because the state's mandates for low-performing K-2 schools leave no room for pull-out sessions. The council debated whether to earmark the dollars for Carver Heights or Dillard in the central attendance district or let CSS use them at Meadow Lane, and tabled the decision to October.
Public Records
Goldsboro rolled out a new online portal that makes requesting city records much faster and less painful. No more wrestling with old-school bureaucracy just to get public documents.
Cemetery Trust Acceptance Policy
A volunteer society that has cleaned 300 headstones would get a visitor center and formal MOU with the city, and possibly expand to Elmwood Cemetery.
Corner Pocket pool hall special use permit
A new alcohol-free pool hall and gathering spot is coming to East Elm and South Berkeley, run by a couple with 20 years of restaurant experience. It passed all four quasi-judicial tests unanimously.
NCDOT project update and MPO overview
NCDOT laid out a busy slate: Wayne Memorial Drive widening (a 36-month project near the hospital), the US 70 Business bridge replacement with an 11-12 month road closure, Berkeley Boulevard widening, Ash Street roundabouts and a multi-use path, plus safety projects like rumble strips and a new signal at Arrington Bridge Road.
South John Street demolition and economic development
The $471,000 demolition of the old cotton seed oil plant clears hazard-prone city-owned land and sets up the South John Street corridor for cemetery expansion and, city leaders hope, much-needed south-side economic investment.
Herman Park tennis courts resurfacing
Cracked courts at Herman Park and the Goldsboro Event Center cost the city the USTA championship (about $479K in visitor spending). Repairs run $150K–$250K; council told staff to chase grants and partnerships before USTA awards 2027-28 bids in two to three weeks.
Recovery Month and community outreach (CCRD)
The Commission for Community Relations and Development is holding its first recovery month celebration Saturday at the Hub and asked the council to keep honoring its funding commitments for gun violence prevention, roundtables and the MLK luncheon.
Stormwater Management Plan and Ditch Maintenance Enforcement
The city's new stormwater administrator laid out a 2026 work plan: a new local erosion and sediment control ordinance targeting July 1, updated stormwater management plan, more inspections of retention ponds, and a watershed stakeholders committee.
Elevate Goldsboro comprehensive plan draft
The city's first new comprehensive plan in 12 years had its public hearing with no speakers; councilmembers asked for tweaks on mixed-use designations along John Street and industrial areas near I-42 interchanges. Adoption expected in August.
Harris Street Bridge Repair
State inspectors found critical defects — exposed, broken rebar and spalled concrete — in this 1960s bridge rated for just six tons. It stays open to cars only while trucks get diverted, and the city faces a five-plus-month repair process with a bigger replacement decision coming. Expect detours and eventual costs likely reaching the hundreds of thousands.
Military Host City Designation
Friends of Seymour reported no new public Air Force confirmation on F-15EX plans amid the Iran conflict and possible aircraft moves, but the community secured major construction dollars for the base including a small arms range and child development center. Dorm shortages for junior enlisted airmen are the next fight.
The HUB Designated a City Park
The James & Pine Black Business District memorial parklet and the West Oak Pocket Park became official city parks, with the parks department taking on maintenance at about $1,300 and $2,500 a year respectively. Council made sure long-term upkeep is budgeted, not just the ribbon cutting.
Citywide noise ordinance rewrite
The draft noise ordinance sets a 7 p.m. cutoff for musical rehearsals, which would squeeze the Funk Nation youth drum line whose students don't get home from school until 5:30. Council leaned toward 8 p.m. or 8:30 p.m., finding an indoor space at Edgewood, or granting a city authorization — and stressed the ordinance is citywide, not just about the drum line.
Countywide alcohol sales referendum in November
Wayne County voters will decide in November whether beer, wine, and mixed beverages can be sold countywide; currently only municipalities may permit sales.
Animal Ordinance Modernization
Chapter 91 gets its first real update since the '60s and '70s — clearer rules on animal pens, breeding, nuisances, and rabies, aligned with state law. It should speed up cases that have dragged 18-24 months.
Downtown nightlife rules loosened
Council raised the bar/nightclub cap to three per downtown block face, scrapped cross-street distance measurements, and kept only a shared-wall ban next to churches and schools — aiming to fill vacant storefronts.
Coronavirus relief fund reallocation decision
The city may extend its COVID funds up to a year (~$300,000), reopening the question of courts versus ballfield lighting; council wants it on next month's agenda after consulting tourism.
Demolition Halt
Goldsboro had to hit pause on its house-demolition program because crews totally dropped the ball on asbestos safety rules. If you live near one of these tear-downs, expect delays while the city figures out how to handle environmental safety properly.
Demolition Safety
Goldsboro had to hit the brakes on a demolition project because crews botched the asbestos safety rules, raising the risk of dangerous exposure and dragging out the timeline. You'll want to keep an eye on this because nobody wants hazardous materials floating around their neighborhood.
Improper Demolition
Goldsboro city leaders are cracking down after a building was illegally torn down without proper permits. Expect new code enforcement rules and policy updates to stop property owners from skipping the legal demolition process in the future.
Utility Rate Ordinance and Tiered Water Rates
Council voted 4-2 to bill the city's roughly 220 irrigation-only meters at the higher second-tier rate, framing irrigation as a luxury use; opponents said the change unfairly singles out those customers.
Food Desert and Use of CDBG Funds
Councilman White and a resident urged the city to explore using federal CDBG funds to help bring grocery stores to an LMI part of the city that has none — staff confirmed economic development is an eligible use.
NC Freedom Festival 2026
Council approved the September 12 street closure and special event application for the free downtown festival, this year headlined by Goldsboro native-adjacent act Ashley McBryde and marking the nation's 250th anniversary.
EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant
The city's $500K EPA brownfield grant has completed seven Phase I environmental assessments; four sites — including a former dry cleaner and the city-owned former cottonseed oil plant — are recommended for Phase II testing to prepare them for redevelopment.
CDBG-CV Funds — Bryan Multisports Complex Lighting
The council wrangled over spending fast-expiring COVID grant money on lighting three more fields at the Bryan Multi-Sports Complex. Some members worried about ongoing light bills and whether LMI communities benefit, but the council voted 6-0 (one abstention) to direct staff to use the funds for lighting if no extension or alternative can be found before the September 10 deadline.
Future Fire Station Locations
A consultant analysis found Goldsboro's fire stations are well-placed today, but recommends relocating Stations 1 and 3 slightly, and identifying six future station areas as the city grows — with property acquisition built into capital planning.
Investing Idle City Cash for Higher Returns
Council hired Valley View Consulting to help manage the city's cash and investments, aiming to boost interest income by hundreds of thousands of dollars a year at a fee of roughly $40,000.
Transit Bus Replacement Funding
Council kicked in $75,000 from fund balance to cover taxes and fees on eight new federally funded buses that exclusively serve Goldsboro's five bus routes — plus a new $35 monthly pass pilot.
Floodplain development and FEMA buyout lots
About a third of the city sits in a floodplain. Council debated whether to allow elevated building (like at the coast) to reclaim land, and criticized scattered FEMA buyout lots that can never be redeveloped. The upcoming UDO rewrite will set those rules.
Industrial land at interstate interchanges
Council members questioned why the future land use map designates regional mixed-use — not industrial — at the interstate interchanges, arguing large industrial developers won't locate where access and infrastructure don't fit. Staff will check with WCDA and county planners on whether the map should change.
Local Erosion and Sediment Control Authority
The city took over enforcement of construction-site erosion rules from the state, covering projects over half an acre. Staff showed local problem sites — sediment clogging storm drains, unsafe stockpiles — and said the state simply lacks the manpower to inspect.
Gun Violence and Youth Prevention Funding
Two residents demanded council action on gun violence after the killing of 13-year-old Jaleia Toon, questioning why the police department's community police services division isn't operational. Multiple council members responded, calling for community, church, and home to work together and for supporting youth programs.
Cell Phone Stipends and Device Inventory
The city spends roughly $85,000 a year on cell phone stipends and pays for 259 city-issued devices. Some Verizon usage data looks wrong, so staff will fix the report and draft a formal allowances policy for council action later this year.
FY2026-27 Budget Adoption
The manager's $103 million draft budget keeps the property tax rate at $0.69 but raises the monthly garbage fee by $4, bumps utility rates 5%, and doubles non-resident recreation fees. Most of the 10% growth is earmarked reserve spending — including $2 million more for street paving — not new operating costs.