Cape Coral City Council approved multiple resolutions that addressed assessments Wednesday night, all of which will impact citizens’ pocketbooks.

Council approved Resolution 266-24, which addresses assessments for lot mowing services, during Wednesday’s public hearings.

Vacant parcels within the program are divided among four districts and are mowed 13 times a year from February through December. The program also includes pepper tree removal and owl nest trimming. The calculation for the rates are based on an of 5,000 square feet. Most Cape building parcels are two lot equivalents.

Interim Assistant City Manager Mark Mason said the largest district is south of Pine Island Road.

The annual assessments for the upcoming fiscal year, equivalent lot unit, are as follows:

• District 1 proposed rate is $86.42, a $26.32 increase

• District 2 proposed rate is $44.77, a $3.94 increase

• District 3 proposed rate is $47.32, a $5.54 increases

• District 4 proposed rate is $43.21, a $3.75 increase

The annual assessment – per standard parcel are as follows:

• District 1 proposed rate $172.84, a $52.64 increase

• District 2 proposed rate $89.54, a $7.88 increase

• District 3 proposed rate $94.64, a $11.08 increase

• District 4 proposed rate of $86.42, $7.50 increase

Resolution 267-24 was also passed, which sets fees for solid waste services.

Councilmember Richard Carr said they have the opportunity to lower the assessment a bit, to help soften the blow, but did not receive support, as the reduction would only be $6.35 — an amount proposed by city staff.

Waste Pro will receive a 3.11% CPI increase and Lee County Board of Commissioners approved a 6% increase in all solid waste disposal fees. The city said the reason it needs to increase rates is to reduce the impact of future contract rate increases.

The approved fiscal year 2025 total assessment per dwelling is $345.76, a $41.39 increase. The largest portion of that assessment is $29.88 for Cape Coral operating and personnel costs.

The solid waste assessment for commercial was also approved. Mason said the commercial rates follow the contracts and consumer price index improvements, which is a 3.11% increase pursuit to the solid waste contract with Waste Pro.

Resolution 268-24 set the fire protection assessment. It is computed to “recover” 70% cost of the cost Cape Coral Fire Department operations. That money goes into the city’s General Fund. Key costs cited include Fire Station 10 – North Cape Public Safety Complex with a $1.1 million estimated debt services; 10 additional staffing positions, ladder replacement of $1,943 million, engine replacement of $1.2 million and a rescue truck at $390,000.

At 70% cost recovery, the assessment for an average single-family home is $478.39, an increase of $55.61, or a 13.15% change.

Mason provided a recap of where cost recovery began in 2014 – 38%, which left the general fund to recover 62%. In 2016 that cost recovery shot up to 64% where it stayed for a couple of years before dropping to 59% and then up to 62% before reaching 70%, where the city has remained for the past two years. That cost recovery has supported the addition of new fire stations and many additional positions, 10 of which are for this upcoming year.

“There is quite a bit added to the city that would certainly justify the need of fixed costs as a supplement for supporting the fire department,” Mason said.

City Manager Mike Ilczyszyn provided background information on how the city began cost recovery for the fire department. He said in 2012, the city, on the heels of the great recession, was looking for revenue. He said fire service assessments existed in the state of Florida on different types of properties — institutional, commercial or residential based on the previous year amount of calls.

“More than 50% of properties were unapproved, so the value of those properties and the taxes they were paying in support of the fire department was minimal,” Ilczyszyn said.

The city created a new assessment — a new methodology that shifted a lot of the costs of the fire department to the unapproved properties throughout the city.

That went to the Florida Supreme Court and won.

“Our methodology was fair and reasonable. Since 2013, the year that went through, every year since then we have lowered the millage rate,” he said because of out-of- state, and out-of-country investors have been paying their fair share for the cost of running the fire department.

Stormwater fees were also approved at $149 per ERU, an increase from $142 last year.