Today’s budget workshop includes option that hike fees for parks & programs
Increase of 80% for athletics, vendors, camps, Youth Center/South Cape, parking, pavilion rentals, dock fees, and Pop’s Café
Cape Coral City Council will discuss options today to balance its desired tax rate against cuts to planned infrastructure and raising fees by 80% to use city parks and amenities.
Council’s stated tax rate goal is 5.1471 mills. Its not-to-exceed rate is 5.1988 mills. Both exclude the additional 0.1554 mills to repay the $60 million general obligation bond for parks debt service.
The first option to be presented at today’s budget workshop is to reduce revenue and expenditures – removing expenditure of $1,500,000 for the Northwest Softball Complex Musco Lighting Replacement at fields one through five.
This option also includes removing one vacant internal auditor position.
The second option is to replace revenue with program fees – parks and recreation program fee adjustments – with an increase of 80% for athletics, vendors, camps, Youth Center/South Cape, parking, pavilion rentals, dock fees, and Pop’s Café.
The increase tendered by city staff ignited a firestorm of concern from the community via social media Monday with the Cape Coral Soccer Association and Cape American Baseball each voicing concerns with what would be large increases.
Cape American Baseball, according to a Facebook post, said “they were notified that the City Council will be voting on a proposed increase of approximately $24,000 to our yearly fees.” The Cape Coral Soccer Association said they were “notified that the City Council will be voting on a proposed increase of approximately $53,463 to our yearly fees.”
Mayor John Gunter also commented on Facebook.
“I will be advocating to remove this topic from our agenda,” he wrote. “This topic has been brought forward by staff and I oppose any changes to our fee’s at this time. City Council collectively will make the decision, but if it is discussed, I will be a passionate no vote. In my opinion, staff is using this is a scare tactic for the upcoming referendum ballot.”
The third option is to “replace revenue with interest earnings policy.” This would “establish a budget policy on interest earnings.”
The proposed policy states:
“Proposed Policy – Interest earnings in the General Fund shall be budgeted using a conservative, prudent
and supportable estimate based on the estimated Budget Stabilization Reserve for the ensuing year and
shall be treated as variable revenue and shall not be used to support recurring obligations. Interest
earnings for all other funds are restricted for use in those funds either by law and/or policy.”
Current budget of $1,325,000 would need to increase to $2,967,783 to cover the reduction in ad valorem revenue, the staff presentation states.
The workshop will be held at 2 p.m. today in City Council chambers, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd.
The meeting is open to the public.
To reach Meghan Bradbury, please email news@breezenewspapers.com