BATON ROUGE - Wednesday night, the Baton Rouge Metro Council will gather for the first time since appointing Denise Amoroso as the interim Councilwoman for District 8.

On that meeting agenda are multiple items including the allocation of funds for the disparity study that Mayor Sharon Weston Broome wants, and a matter of accepting a grant for more supplies for BRPD.

As far as the disparity study goes, Mayor Broome wants to spend almost $300,000 to have the firm, Keen Independent Research, conduct a study for the city-parish. The study will focus on the extent of economic disparities when it comes to small businesses run by minorities, women, and veterans.

Another interesting item is the grant for BRPD that was brought up by Police Chief Murphy Paul. He will be asking the mayor to accept the grant through the Bureau of Justice Assistance for $750,000 related to 2017's body-worn camera policy and implantation program. The grant will be used to buy supplies and provide services for BRPD in the future.

Both the disparity study and the grant are being introduced for public hearing on August 8, the same day the council will address Mayor Broome's half-cent road tax plan.