Councilmember Richard Carr , District 4 Cape Coral City Council seat.

Cape Coral’s newly appointed city council member will not take the stipend that doubled the amount of money paid to members of the elected board.

Councilmember Richard Carr, appointed in December to fill the District 4 seat left vacant by the suspension of Patty Cummings by Gov. Ron DeSantis, has told the city not to add the $3,333 monthly stipend to the salary he will receive.

“I have opted to forgo the city council stipend,” he said Thursday in response to an email from The Breeze. “Since my appointment on December 18th, I have delved into pertinent topics, and ensured the complete setup and establishment of my office. During the council hiatus, I am utilizing my time diligently to review ongoing matters, including the stipend, and familiarize myself with current issues anticipated in my role as a council member.

“Due to not participating in the decision on the stipend, I’ve faced limitations in adequately and confidently responding to related questions, as I prefer. Following discussions with the city attorney, I learned that I am not obliged to receive the stipend. I have communicated with the city manager to exclude the recently approved stipend from my paychecks.”

In addition to the additional $3,333 per month for council members, the stipend adds $5,000 per month to the mayor’s remuneration.

Cape Coral City Council members are paid approximately $41,920 per year, as per the city’s charter which provides for cost-of-living increases which this year was a 3.2% bump.

The mayoral salary is approximately $48,095.

Other than the cost-of-living increases, any raise in council salaries requires voter approval. As a stipend is not “salary,” voter approval was not needed, city officials said.

Approved by city council on Dec. 13, the action has caused a storm of controversy with a petition drive led by former councilmember Richard Leon asking for reconsideration of the 5-1 vote approaching 6,400 signatures on change.org as of late Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Lee County Republican Party Executive Committee is expected to vote later this month on a resolution that would “condemn profiteering by the Cape Coral City Council” and withhold support for the re-election of council members who voted in favor of the stipends.

The resolution to be voted on Jan. 16 states “that no funding, resources, or support shall come from the Republican Party of Lee County to Mayor John Gunter or Council members Bill Steinke, Dan Sheppard, Tom Hayden, or Keith Long for their reelection campaigns in 2024 or 2026,” nor will their names be included in Lee GOP literature or advertising unless Council votes to reverse or repeal the resolution that granted them “a substantial pay raise, described as a ‘stipend,’…”

The resolution exempts Councilmember Robert Welsh, who voted nay on the enabling resolutions included among the city’s consent agenda items, but includes Sheppard who the resolution describes as “Conveniently absent during the consent item vote.”

Welsh who, like the rest of Council, has been on hiatus, said Thursday the stipend was included in his check from the city but that he has not spent any of those funds.

Carr’s action is one that should be emulated by his fellow board members, said Leon, who plans on presenting his petition at the Jan. 10 Cape Coral City Council meeting.

“I think he’s showing some leadership right now, and I’m hoping the rest of council follows suit and refuses the stipend as well,” Leon said.