Council sets millage, fees, assessments
The Cape Coral City Council took a big step toward coming up with a budget for the 2023 fiscal year by setting the fees, millage and assessments during its regular meeting Wednesday at City Hall.
There wasn’t much drama, as all votes were unanimous. However, the City Council did set a pretty high bar for the millage and used some creativity to come up with the solid waste assessment.
The biggest thing the board did was to set the not-to-exceed millage at 5.5568, which City Manager Rob Hernandez used as the basis for his next budget during a budget workshop last week.
One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of assessed taxable property valuation.
City staff recommended setting the millage at 6.25, the current millage, as a way to give the council some wiggle room.
During public comment, Tom Shadrack said the council should set the millage to the city manager’s budget, which Mayor John Gunter and the rest of city council agreed to. The resolution passed unanimously.
Last week at the budget workshop, council was split on using the city manager’s budget or going to the rollback rate of 5.3694, which would still give the city $6.7 million more than last year.
This is the first time City Council sets the millage rate. Once set, council can decrease the millage, but not increase it. Council will set the not-to-exceed tentative millage during the first of two public hearings on the budget on Sept. 8.
City Council was also given two options regarding the solid waste assessment and decided on option 3.
Waste Pro was guaranteed a 1 percent increase through an ordinance signed in 2020. However, it requested an 8.32 CPI increase, the rate of inflation. It said the increase of rates are happening throughout the country and even with the full increase, the rates would still be among the lowest in Lee County.
One of the biggest cost drivers is the pilot program for bulk drop-off, which continues and increases in costs from $100,000 to $266,711.
Gunter and Councilmember Jennifer Nelson didn’t have the appetite to raise the assessment that high and instead met Waste Pro in the middle, giving them the 1 percent and half of the 8.32 CPI increase, for a total of 5.16 percent.
The assessment will be set at the City Council meeting Aug. 31.
Council also set the lot mowing assessment. There will be 13 mows per year, from January through November, with owl nest trimming provided.
The annual assessment in District 1 goes from $117.76 to $119.34; District 2 from $79.20 to $80.78; District 3 from $81.10 to $82.66 and District 4 from $76.46 to $78.02. Districts 1 and 2 will see an increase of $1.58, while 3 and 4 will have a $1.56 increase.
Council also set the fire assessment at a 62 percent recovery rate and the not-to-exceed stormwater assessment at $135, continuing the annual $5 increases set by council several years ago.
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com