Cape Council to again discuss pending city attorney vacancy
Cape Coral City Council will again discuss Wednesday how it will handle the pending retirement of the municipality’s long-time city attorney.
Bought forward by Mayor John Gunter, the discussion is expected address an exit strategy concerning City Attorney Dolores Menendez, who plans to retire by October 2024.
Council can provide Menendez with a notice of non-renewal of her contract, which then would end in October; allow the contract to again renew; or provide for an different agreed-upon end date.
Menendez signed her contract on Oct. 9, 2001.
This means that any notice to not renew must come by April 9 or the contract automatically renews another year.
Council decided on Feb. 1 it would find a new city attorney and not find someone who would serve as a deputy for 14 months until Menendez retires, as a potential successor may not be comfortable with that.
Council hired Narloch & Associates, an executive search firm, to find the candidates for the position.
“The candidate should have 10 years of local government experience at the executive level. We also like candidates who have legal experience in litigation, administrative law, trial law or appellate work,” Renee Narloch told the elected board in its Feb. 8 meeting. “We would look for someone who has worked for similar sized agencies to the city and either as deputy or lead attorney for a larger organization.”
Narloch said she would get five to seven qualified candidates for the city to consider.
The question then becomes when that person would take over, how much overlap there would be between the new and current city attorney, and when Menendez would leave the position.
With Menendez’s contract up for renewal on April 9 and expiring on Oct. 9, it may be in the city’s best interest to give a notice of non-renewal, Gunter said at the Feb. 8 meeting.
“I think that is the direction council is going and we will have that topic in our first meeting in March for discussion,” Gunter said. “After that, once some unknown variables are identified, maybe a new contract can be entered into for a period of time, whether its until October 2024 or shorter.”
In other business:
On what will be an otherwise light agenda, Council will consider three ordinances that will amend city maps, two of which will be quasi-judicial.
One ordinance would change the zoning of a half-acre property at 800 Southwest 8th Place and 817 Southwest 8th St. from Commercial (C) to Residential Multi-Family Low (RML).
City staff determined it is no longer appropriate to support commercial development on this site, particularly given the lack of visibility from major transportation corridors and the amount of nearby residential development. If approved, eight dwelling units could be developed.
Council also will consider a zone change for 20 acres from Commercial (C) to Neighborhood Commercial (NC) on property west of Nelson Road and south of Tropicana Parkway.
The NC district would allow retail, office, restaurants, and multi-family development.
A third ordinance looks to amend the Future Land Use Map from Commercial/Professional (CP) to Multi-Family (MF) for .46 acres of property at 412 Skyline Blvd. and 413 Souhwest 8th Place.
The amendment would allow for construction of a single-family home or a duplex on each of the two parcels. The two parcels are the only parcels in the block with the CP future land use designation.
Wednesday’s Council meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd.
All meetings are open to the public.
Residents who have input but cannot attend may submit E-comments to https://www.capecoral.gov/department/clerk/ecomments.php
For City Council Meeting items, E-comments must be received by noon on the day of the meeting. Any comments received after noon on the day of the meeting will be applied and distributed to Council at their next scheduled meeting.
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com