Election 2026 | Question of the Week 11, District 4 | Should employee overtime be addressed? Why or why not?
Each week through the General Election, The Breeze will ask the candidates for Cape Coral City Council an issue-related question. In the interest of fairness, each candidate is limited to the same amount of space, about 100 words, for their response.
Cape Coral City Council races are non-partisan races. Council members qualify in their respective districts but are elected at-large. This means all registered city voters may cast a ballot in each race regardless of where they live and the party to which they are affiliated, if any. This year’s General Election, on Nov. 3, features four Cape Coral City Council races: Mayor and the seats for District 1, 4 and 6.
Question of the Week: Should employee overtime be addressed? Why or why not?
The following candidates are running for Cape Coral City Council set for District 4:
• Jennifer Nelson-Lastra (I)
Yes. Overtime should be regularly reviewed to make sure we are using taxpayer dollars responsibly while maintaining adequate staffing and public safety. Overtime is sometimes necessary, particularly in police, fire and other essential services, and some overtime costs are reimbursed through grants. I would like to see departments identify recurring overtime, determine whether staffing or scheduling changes could reduce it, and distinguish necessary overtime from overtime that can be avoided.
James Vargas
Yes, it should be addressed because it directly affects the city budget. Overtime is sometimes necessary when it comes to public safety, emergencies and staffing shortages. However excessive or recurring overtime may indicate a staffing or management issue.
The goal would not be to eliminate necessary overtime, but to make sure taxpayers’ dollars are being used efficiently.