Cape Council to consider solid waste collection options
Cape Coral City Council will be presented with two options regarding solid waste collection services during its Wednesday workshop.
Those options include extending the current contract with Waste Pro for an additional three years, or issuing new solicitation, which officials said would increase the cost.
The current contract began in 2010 with a five-year base period expiring in 2015. There was an automatic renewal from 2015 to 2020 before a seven-year extension was granted to Waste Pro in 2020.
The solid waste collection cost in fiscal year 2024 was $14.5 million. There is a three-year mutually agreeable extension available from Oct. 1, 2027 through Sept. 30, 2030.
The Cape Coral requirements include service levels, accountability, full transparency, well defined Force Majeure section, terms/extensions, qualifications, local office, and the cost.
The trends to consider, according to back up material, includes inflation and cost adjustments, actual vs. index pricing, labor challenges, fuel, enhanced technology, and equipment costs.
In other business
• Car wash and storage moratoriums
Another topic for discussion includes car wash and storage moratoriums, measures passed in April 2024.
Council will have an update on possible regulations, which includes the most extreme option of prohibiting as a permitted use “either conditional or by-right, throughout all zoning districts in the city,” to permitting as a conditional use with specific regulations around locational and design standards.
As far as self-storage facilities, staff recommends the total number be limited based on “per capita amount, coupled with conditional use, limited district specific design and locational specifications.”
For car washes, staff recommends the use is “permitted as conditional use only with specific regulations around locational and design standards of the facilities.”
• Accessory dwelling units
Accessory dwelling units – ancillary or secondary living unit – are also being brought back for discussion during Wednesday’s workshop. If Council wants to move forward with ADU’s, another workshop will be scheduled for potential regulations and best practices.
• Public safety compensation
The last two items for discussion include the Segal Company Total Compensation Study for both the police and fire department. The study found that the police and fire department is behind the 75th percentile for positions across the entire pay range. The city benchmark for employee compensation is to pay municipal employees at the top 25% for comparably paid positions.
The 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 31 workshop will be held in City Council chambers, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd. The meeting is open to the public.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com