Cape Council lowers property tax rate, approves rollback
Fire assessment, some others, to increase
Council Coral City Council reduced the city’s property tax rate Thursday, approving the “rollback” rate which keeps revenues from these taxes at their current level
The elected board adopted a budget and millage rate of 5.1471 mills, which is lower than current rate of 5.2188.
Also approved was .1608 mills for the parks general obligation bond payback.
Councilmember Dr. Derrick Donnell was the lone dissent.
He favored an increase.
“I wanted us to go to 1 mill over the millage rate,” he said. “We raised that one mill that would have made us financially stable for the next five years. Had we moved it one mill — costing the average family $300 — that would have generated $30 million for the budget. This millage rate is not going to be what we need based on today, it doesn’t meet the type of service that we need to have. Let’s stop chasing mill rates.”
One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable, assessed valuation.
The budget, which was approved with Donnell dissenting is $1,434,847,653 with a general fund, or operating budget, of $262,501,397.
According to a prior presentation, the rolled-back rate is $2,200,734 less than the city manager’s proposed rate of 5.2188.
Council also formally approved a number of non-ad valorem assessments for services, including fire protection, stormwater, trash collection and more.
Among the other city assessments on the tax bill, the city’s levy for fire protection services was increased from 70% to 81% to “capture” the cost of Cape Coral Fire Department operations.
At 81% cost recovery, the assessment for an average single-family home comes in at $529.76; at the current 70% cost recovery it is $438.48. The tier one rate per parcel at 81% will be $349.32 and the tier two rate per “equivalent benefit unit,” or EBU, will be $3.47.
The annual residential rates for solid waste also saw an increase of nearly $40. Changes that affected the fiscal year 2026 assessment were the Waste Pro 1.66% CPI increase and the Lee County Waste Division approval of a 3.65% in disposal fees for MSW Gate Fee, horticulture, C&D and Class III.
The current fiscal year adopted fee was $345.76. The fee approved for fiscal year 2026 is $384.25 for residential.
The non-ad valorem assessment for low mowing services and assessment rates is for a program that mows 13 times a year for vacant parcels in four districts from February through December. The program also includes pepper tree removal and owl nest trimming.
The rates are calculated based on equivalent lot rate based on 5,000 square feet. The annual rate for district one is $70.48, a reduction of $15.94 due to a previous increase to finish Hurricane Ian cleanup; a $3.28 increase to $48.05 for district two; a $4.12 increase to $51.44 for district three; and a $1.42 increase in district four to $44.63.
A standard parcel is two lots meaning the annual assessment for District 1 is $140.96, a reduction of $31.88; an increase of $6.56 for district two to $96.10; a $8.24 increase for district three to $102.88; and $89.26 for district four, a $2.84 increase.
The rate for stormwater, $156, an increase from $149, was also approved. The increase will allow the city to increase current lines of service for operations and maintenance, officials said.
The annual assessment rolls for various non-ad valorem (tax billed) assessments ranging from southeast one potable water, wastewater, and irrigation to the utility contribution in aid of construction fee water and wastewater was also approved.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com