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Since you have gone toevery meeting, how do you feel this current councill are doing? In your opinion are they all crooked or are they honest citizens looking to make the city a better place? Are they putting self interests in front of the city? Are there all hidden backroom deals or is everything fairly transparent?
Since you have gone toevery meeting, how do you feel this current councill are doing? In your opinion are they all crooked or are they honest citizens looking to make the city a better place? Are they putting self interests in front of the city? Are there all hidden backroom deals or is everything fairly transparent?
It takes time to change things when there is out of control spending and little regard for the consequences. I believe this group is on the right track and needs more support from the people that elected them.Todays economy makes their jobs even more of a challenge.
All in all they are fundamentally honest and have the best interest of the City at heart.
“ Cape Coral City Council could very well look to assess vacant lots for water, or sewer, or both. “
"I don't want to sit here and end up owning half the real estate in Cape Coral," Sullivan said. "We have to be careful how we do this ... the lots will get thrown back at the city.”
It takes time to change things when there is out of control spending and little regard for the consequences. I believe this group is on the right track and needs more support from the people that elected them.Todays economy makes their jobs even more of a challenge.
All in all they are fundamentally honest and have the best interest of the City at heart.
So there is no need for spending property taxes in defending them, right?
“The ordinance would cover the costs of civil and ethics claims brought against any past or present member of the City Council for actions taken in the performance of their public duties and for a public purpose, assistant city attorney Gail Roberts said. The ordinance would also apply to employees, advisory board members and volunteers.”
The city of Cape Coral, in order to feed it’s insatiable appetite for money (supplied by taxpayers), has come up with another scheme to take more money from the property owners in the form of a new utility assessment .
It’s despicable that city government will sink so low as to charge people for another service that they do not use, and in many instances, cannot use. Property taxes include fees for garbage disposal even if they have no garbage to dispose of, your average empty lot doesn’t generate garbage, but the property owners have to pay for it any way. If you own property and only live here part of the year, you still pay a water bill, every month, regardless of the pesky little fact that when you aren’t here you don’t use any water.
There may be other hidden charges that I am unaware of, being new to Cape Coral, however, it bothers me that the city is trying to raise money in this way.
From a recent Cape Coral Breeze article:
Councilmember Peter Brandt said: “it was one option the city’s bond council thought would draw the least amount of negative attention, legal or otherwise.”
Rather than trying to figure out how to do it so you don’t draw “negative attention” Mr. Brandt, how about you don’t do it in the first place because it is wrong to take money for services that people do not use.
Councilmember Kevin McGrail said:
“This is an income stream for the ratepayers that should be looked at.”
Mr. McGrail, how about reining in spending, cutting waste, and bringing city employee compensation in line with the private sector? Then you wouldn’t need another income stream for city government to waste.
The Mayor weighs in, and when you start reading the article, you think finally, someone with integrity
“Still Mayor John Sullivan preached caution, saying that assessments for lots that have lost significant value could cause even more people to simply walk away.
Why would someone pay more in assessments than their lot is actually worth? Sullivan asked.”
Then Mr. Sullivan goes down the same avaricious path as the others when he adds:
“We have to be careful how we do this”
How about not doing it at all because it is wrong to take money for a service that people do not use.
Councilmember Chris Chulakes-Leetz said: “charging these fees would not be a “waste” for lot owners; instead, it would be a “transfer of equity. I think property owners would understand the city is moving forward for the “big picture.”
What “big picture” would that be Chris, without jobs and with the continued erosion of property values the so-called big picture of the Cape looks bleak.
The City vision statement calls the Cape: “A progressive waterfront community becoming the urban center of Southwest Florida, offering economic and social opportunities, with unparalleled quality of life.”
More than ever, we need a community that functions on all levels, and it needs to become more than just a water front community were a progressive government keeps finding ever more ways to feed government growth at tax payer expense.
Moreover, as long as the city of Cape Coral has a government that feels justified in increasing the resident’s burden, at will, the only thing that will grow is government.
Nationwide people are rejecting the idea of wealth/income/equity redistribution funded by the taxpayer. The new utility assessment brings the reality of redistribution to the local level in Cape Coral. City government has failed to bring companies and manufactures to Cape Coral to provide jobs and replenish the tax base, so taking more money from residents just got pushed to the top of the list for city government, otherwise they can’t maintain the same out of control, no accountability level of spending that currently exists.
I hope the people of the Cape will vote to remove this group in City Hall that believes that everyone but them should make sacrifices. Having a city government that would rein in spending and strive to eliminate waste would go a long way towards making the Cape a better place to live.
The city of Cape Coral, in order to feed it’s insatiable appetite for money (supplied by taxpayers), has come up with another scheme to take more money from the property owners in the form of a new utility assessment .
It’s despicable that city government will sink so low as to charge people for another service that they do not use, and in many instances, cannot use. Property taxes include fees for garbage disposal even if they have no garbage to dispose of, your average empty lot doesn’t generate garbage, but the property owners have to pay for it any way. If you own property and only live here part of the year, you still pay a water bill, every month, regardless of the pesky little fact that when you aren’t here you don’t use any water.
There may be other hidden charges that I am unaware of, being new to Cape Coral, however, it bothers me that the city is trying to raise money in this way.
From a recent Cape Coral Breeze article:
Councilmember Peter Brandt said: “it was one option the city’s bond council thought would draw the least amount of negative attention, legal or otherwise.”
Rather than trying to figure out how to do it so you don’t draw “negative attention” Mr. Brandt, how about you don’t do it in the first place because it is wrong to take money for services that people do not use.
Councilmember Kevin McGrail said:
“This is an income stream for the ratepayers that should be looked at.”
Mr. McGrail, how about reining in spending, cutting waste, and bringing city employee compensation in line with the private sector? Then you wouldn’t need another income stream for city government to waste.
The Mayor weighs in, and when you start reading the article, you think finally, someone with integrity
“Still Mayor John Sullivan preached caution, saying that assessments for lots that have lost significant value could cause even more people to simply walk away.
Why would someone pay more in assessments than their lot is actually worth? Sullivan asked.”
Then Mr. Sullivan goes down the same avaricious path as the others when he adds:
“We have to be careful how we do this”
How about not doing it at all because it is wrong to take money for a service that people do not use.
Councilmember Chris Chulakes-Leetz said: “charging these fees would not be a “waste” for lot owners; instead, it would be a “transfer of equity. I think property owners would understand the city is moving forward for the “big picture.”
What “big picture” would that be Chris, without jobs and with the continued erosion of property values the so-called big picture of the Cape looks bleak.
The City vision statement calls the Cape: “A progressive waterfront community becoming the urban center of Southwest Florida, offering economic and social opportunities, with unparalleled quality of life.”
More than ever, we need a community that functions on all levels, and it needs to become more than just a water front community were a progressive government keeps finding ever more ways to feed government growth at tax payer expense.
Moreover, as long as the city of Cape Coral has a government that feels justified in increasing the resident’s burden, at will, the only thing that will grow is government.
Nationwide people are rejecting the idea of wealth/income/equity redistribution funded by the taxpayer. The new utility assessment brings the reality of redistribution to the local level in Cape Coral. City government has failed to bring companies and manufactures to Cape Coral to provide jobs and replenish the tax base, so taking more money from residents just got pushed to the top of the list for city government, otherwise they can’t maintain the same out of control, no accountability level of spending that currently exists.
I hope the people of the Cape will vote to remove this group in City Hall that believes that everyone but them should make sacrifices. Having a city government that would rein in spending and strive to eliminate waste would go a long way towards making the Cape a better place to live.
Cape Coral has the worst economy, the worst record of unemployment, the worst rate of poverty growth and debt "up to eyeballs", canals have become unnavigable, parks have been neglected and homelessness on its rise... prices of homes are on a free fall and foreclosed homes like popcorns are popping up in each corner of the city.
Cape Coral has the worst economy, the worst record of unemployment, the worst rate of poverty growth and debt "up to eyeballs", canals have become unnavigable, parks have been neglected and homelessness on its rise... prices of homes are on a free fall and foreclosed homes like popcorns are popping up in each corner of the city.
But Red White & Boom = awesomeness
count for anything?
Economically, the poorest city in America, Cape Coral still wants to act "large" and wasted so much money on Red, white & Boom, while a city like Fort Myers with military personnel canceled the event because of lack of money.
Are they less patriotic...NO!
Cancellation of something you cannot afford = smartness
" Fort Myers cancelled its annual celebration saying they don't have the money to pay for it.
Battling a budget deficit, the city may have to lay off workers or cut back salaries.
As a result they can't justify or afford to pay for the annual celebration. "
Economically, the poorest city in America, Cape Coral still wants to act "large" and wasted so much money on Red, white & Boom, while a city like Fort Myers with military personnel canceled the event because of lack of money.
Are they less patriotic...NO!
Cancellation of something you cannot afford = smartness
" Fort Myers cancelled its annual celebration saying they don't have the money to pay for it.
Battling a budget deficit, the city may have to lay off workers or cut back salaries.
As a result they can't justify or afford to pay for the annual celebration. "
Derrick Donnell was my HS Biology Prof at CCHS, he was a great guy with hilarious "so there I was" stories. Not quite sure how he's been doing as a Councilman but things don't sound good coming from the entire group.
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