Communicate with council
To the editor:
A public service tax of 10 percent on your electric bill and some other items is being touted by Mr. Stewart and Mr. Mason as a way for the city to diversify their revenues! Mr. Mason states on an average electric bill of $140 with a public service tax at 10 percent, you would pay an additional $14 a month. How many of you have an average electric bill of $140 per month? I sure don’t.
Mr. Stewart remarked on how many jobs would be lost in city government. No mention was made of pay cuts for the top-tier employees, no mention of thinning out the ranks of managers, supervisors, some of whom manage or supervise no one! Mr. Stewart’s plan of attack has always been to go after the worker bees, the ones that actually do the work. If you are trimming a big old oak tree you do not start trimming the roots first as that is what makes the tree strong and able to weather storms. You go to the top part of the tree to thin it out to make the tree even stronger.
It was stated that 25 positions in the Police Department were eliminated. Those 25 positions were only funded by $1 each in the budget and were never filled and saved the taxpayer exactly $25.
Councilmember Tate challenged everyone to come up with cuts to the budget and she comes up with nothing. Councilmember Day makes outlandish statements declaring disaster stating “you will have no parks, no recreation or senior centers! Councilmember Donnell gave his usual sermon chastising residents telling them to e-mail etc. Councilmember Donnell does not even read his e-mails! Any e-mail that I have sent CM Donnell comes back saying “deleted without having been read”!
Councilmember Bertolini appeared to be negative on the public service tax stating that “taxes never go away and usually become permanent.” Councilmember Deile stated the budget should not be predicated on “how much the city needs but rather on how much the citizens can afford to pay.”
Are you mad yet? E-mail the Council at Council@capecoral.net Call them at 574-0437 and leave them messages! Come to council meetings and let them know how you feel! Do all three. Together we can make a difference!
Lynn Rosko
Cape Coral