To the editor:

Over the last several months the Cape Coral City Council has been promoting the idea of having a town hall meeting to give all the citizens an opportunity to learn about and ask questions about the city budget.

At the Sept. 21 special meeting, which was advertised in this paper, to approve the budget there were about eight members of the public present; one speaker spoke during Citizen’s input. Two of the eight council members were absent. The entire meeting lasted 16 minutes and 29 seconds, gavel to gavel. This is what the town hall meetings will look like.

The Budget Review Committee consisted of eight members who worked side by side with city staff to ask questions and make suggestions from a taxpayer point of view. Yes, City Council and the BRC often disagreed on various topics but that was the job of the BRC, not to be a rubber stamp.

At the regular Council meeting of Sept. 20 this council voted to sunset the Budget Review Committee. Remember that the next time you vote for council members.

George Starner

Former Budget Review Committee Member