×
×
homepage logo
STORE

Monday’s Cape Coral City Council meeting will be the last for several departing members

Seats will be filled by the winners of Tuesday’s election

By CHUCK BALLARO - | Oct 29, 2020

Monday’s Cape Coral City Council meeting at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall will be remembered for much more than what is on the agenda.

It will be most remembered as the last City Council meeting for at least three members: John Carioscia,who represents District 2; Marilyn Stout from District 3; and Lois Welsh from District 5.

Those council members, who served one extra year when the election was moved from odd to even years, will be replaced by new members at the mostly ceremonial meeting at City Hall on Monday, Nov. 16

A fourth whose future on the council is yet to decided is incumbent Jessica Cosden, who represents District 7. She faces opponent Derrick Donnell in Tuesday’s General Election.

Among the items council will be voting on Monday is a resolution that will amend the council’s rules of order and decorum, which was brought forward by Councilmember John Gunter.

Gunter wants to add a section on decorum, including a code of conduct, ability to attend and to be able to stay at meetings, and censure, which punishes council members for negative actions.

For the most part, council members have followed the unwritten rules of decorum. In recent months, Gunter has expressed concern regarding the ability of one council member, who dropped out of multiple meetings he attended virtually and was seen appearing to be sleeping at another.

In the new section regarding decorum, it says “The members of the City Council shall always serve the citizens of the City of Cape Coral. Each elected official shall act in professional manner to promote public trust and confidence in government with complete transparency and avoid even the appearance or perception of impropriety while holding public office.”

In other new business, the Youth Council will give its quarterly report to the City Council on what has happened since its last report and some of the things to come.

For example, the Youth Council adopted a portion of Santa Barbara Boulevard north of Pine Island Road, which requires participants to regularly clean the roadway area.

The Youth Council will continue to clean the road on the first Saturday of each month.

The city will also consider two sales of surplus property and an ordinance amending its code of ordinances regarding the way the city disciplines its employees, especially in regards to administrative leave.

City Hall is at 1015 Cultural Park Blvd.