Pembroke City Council approved a $600,000 Community Housing Investment Program grant  to build four single-family homes on Camelia Drive during a June 21 called meeting.

Work on the new homes, which are part of the city’s effort to provide affordable workforce housing, should begin in October, according to Pembroke Councilwoman Tiffany Walraven.

In other business: Council members approved a contract with Public Safety Director Bill Collins to serve an interim police  chief. 

The contract will pay Collins $18 per hour for up 16 hours for  any additional work he does while serving as police chief. 

The contract wasn’t asked for, according to city officials, who said Collins didn’t ask for the money.  

“I’ve never seen anyone fight so hard not to be paid in my life,” City Administrator Alex Floyd said. 

Pembroke council is also looking into whether to continue using Republic Waste Management for trash collection. 

Council members said at the meeting there have been numerous complaints about the service, but also noted that Republic hadn’t raised its prices in nine years. 

City officials reached out to other waste management companies, but “none of them could compete with the price,” Floyd told council members. 

Council will discuss the issue at its July 9 meeting.