Council to begin Wednesday meetings
There will likely be a resident or two show up for the Cape Coral City Council meeting Monday only to be surprised to realize there will be no meeting.
So, here’s a reminder: After decades of holding meetings on Monday, City Council’s meetings have now been shifted to Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m., starting this week.
The reason this is being done is so the City Council can better prepare for meetings by speaking with City Manager Rob Hernandez or other city staff regarding issues on the agenda, something council members couldn’t always do because of time constraints
Among the important items on the agenda will be ratifying the extension of agreements with the city’s police, fire, professional and non-bargaining employee units concerning sick leave related to COVID-19.
The resolution approves the extension of the additional 80 hours of sick leave provided by the city as approved on April 6, 2020 through June 30, 2021.
The original resolution expired on Dec. 31 and will be retroactive to Jan. 1.
The city will also vote on the sale of three parcels of municipal surplus property, to eliminate the Judd Creek sub-district from the city’s Comprehensive Plan and amend the city’s investment policy for surplus funds.
On the consent agenda, the city will decide whether to accept the bid from Community Asphalt Corporation for asphalt resurfacing of three major roads in the city.
The dollar value for the work is $1,865,716 for 19 lane miles of resurfacing and will include Chiquita Boulevard from Veterans to Savona parkways, Cape Coral Parkway from Coronado Parkway to just before Santa Barbara Boulevard, and Country Club Boulevard in the area where it connects with Palm Tree.
Council will also be asked to approve impact fee deferral agreements between the city and Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties.
A consent agenda item will be passed automatically unless pulled by a City Council member for discussion or questioning.
The City Council will also recognize the city for its second-place Digital Cities Award by the Center for Digital Government for Cities with populations 125,000 to 249,999.
This is the third straight year the city has placed second, and the fifth in the top three. This year the award recognizes cities using technology to tackle response to the pandemic while continuing strategic initiatives to enhance services. The award highlighted the city’s Fiber Sharing agreement with the county and the citywide fiber plan being built by IT and Utilities.
The city will also hand out a Civilian Award that will be presented by Interim Police Chief Anthony Sizemore and Fire Chief Ryan Lamb.
On Nov. 25, just before midnight, a vehicle crashed into a canal which became submerged with two children trapped inside. Hearing the crash, resident Tyler Ravert jumped into the water and attempted to rescue the children. Police officers, firefighters and Ravert were able to free the children from the car.
Tragically, the boys did not survive. However, the selfless actions of Ravert will be recognized by his being given the highest civilian award from the city.
City Hall is at 1015 Cultural Park Boulevard.
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com