Guest Commentary | Compensation amendment reflects the duties of Cape Coral’s council members
To the Citizens of Cape Coral,
The Charter Review Commission submits for your consideration the following amendment concerning compensation for the Mayor and the City Council. The proposed language establishes that each City Council member shall receive an annual salary of $70,000, and the Mayor shall receive $80,000. These salaries would continue to be adjusted annually by the Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA), with the adjustment applied during the first pay period of each calendar year, consistent with the compensation structure approved by voters in 2015.
In developing these figures, the Commission undertook a comprehensive review of comparable municipalities, examined established pay structures throughout the state, and evaluated the actual scope of work performed by Cape Coral’s elected officials. Based on these findings, the Commission determined that the responsibilities carried by both the Council and the Mayor align with the standards of a full-time position. At present, the only factor that obscures this reality is the level of compensation itself. We took the average suggestion of each commissioner and came up with the $70,000 and $80,000 figures.
Should the City Council decide to place this amendment before the voters or revise the proposed compensation amounts, the Commission strongly recommends that the existing compensation policy, specifically, the hard dollar and the reliance on the Social Security COLA, remain intact. This structure ensures that future adjustments are tied to an objective external metric rather than discretionary action by officeholders, maintaining transparency and consistency in the administration of public compensation.
The Commission presents this amendment to provide clarity, ensure accuracy in the charter, and reflect the workload and responsibilities associated with governing a city of Cape Coral’s size. The final authority rests with the voters, and the Commission submits this recommendation in fulfillment of its duty to review, evaluate, and improve the provisions of our city charter.
Richard Leon is the chair of the Charter Review Commission.
Editor’s note: Mr. Leon plans to send a series of letters to the editor explaining the charter changes recommended for Cape Coral City Council consideration. This is the seventh contribution, covering the proposed charter amendment dealing with residency requirements for candidates for Cape Coral City Council.