Assessments and fees are among the agenda items for the Cape Coral City Council Wednesday night as the 2025 budget process gets under way.
Increases are proposed across the board.
Lot mowing:
The city has four districts for lot mowing with District 1 seeing $350,000 has been added for remainder of vacant lot clean-up due to Hurricane Ian.
The lot mowing annual assessments per lot equivalent, 5,000 square feet, as proposed, include $86.72 for fiscal year 2025 for district 1, compared to $60.10 for fiscal year 2024 – a change of $26.62. The proposed rate for fiscal year 2025 for district 2 is $44.77 compared to last year’s $40.83 – a change of $3.94. District 3 has a proposed rate of $47.32 for fiscal year 2025, compared to 2024 of $41.78 – an increase of $5.54. The proposed fee for fiscal year 2025 is $43.21 for district 4 compared to $39.46 for 2024 – an increase of $3.75.
Most building lots in Cape Coral are two lot equivalents.
The annual assessments for a standard parcel for district 1 is proposed at $173.44 for 2025, compared to $120.20 in 2024 – an increase of $53.24. District 2 has a proposed rate of $89.54 for 2025 compared to $81.66 for 2024 – an increase of $7.88. The proposed rate for district 3 is $94.64, compared to 2024 of $82.56 – an increase of $11.08. District 4 has a proposed rate of $86.42 for 2025, compared to $78.92 for 2024 – an increase of $7.50.
The vacant lots in the program are mowed 13 times a year from February through December. The program also includes the removal of pepper trees and owl nest trimming, which begins May and goes through January.
Solid waste
The Wednesday meeting will also establish the solid waste cost and assessment rates, which begin Oct. 1, 2024.
The updated fee for solid waste services is $349.19, an increase of $44.82 from the $304.37 rate for 2024.
Waste Pro “will receive a 3.11% CPI increase from $159.60 to $164.52.”
Meeting presentation documents also state that the “Cape Coral Admin rate will increase by $29.88 to gross up the rate to the anticipated rate change expected when we enter a new contract in 2028.”
Residential and commercial collection rates will be set at the Aug. 28 meeting.
Fire services assessment
Fire service assessments are also on the agenda. The city assesses properties to “capture” the cost or providing fire services in the city. The recapture rate is proposed at 70% the cost of the department’s general operations. The money goes into the city’s General Fund.
The first tier, all parcels – including vacant lots – have a fixed proposed amount of $278.84. The second tier – improved parcels based on structure value expressed, or EBU, has a proposed amount of $3.07 per EBU.
At 70% recovery, the average single family home based on average structural value of $325,000, will be assessed $478.39, up $55.61 from FY 24’s $422.78, a 13.15% increase.
Stormwater & utilities
The stormwater fee has a proposed rate of $149 per equivalent residential unit.
Cape Coral City Council last week approved utility rate increases of 11 % per year for each of the next three years. The utility rate adjustments will begin Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
Property tax rate
A proposed millage rate of 5.3126 mills for general operating purposes and a proposed millage rate of .1791 mills for the parks voter-approved debt service for fiscal year 2025 is also on the agenda. The current millage rate is 5.3694 mills, or $5.3694 for each $1,000 of assessed valuation.
As proposed, the city’s overall proposed budget is a 10.18 percent decrease from teh 2023 budget coming in at $984.1 million compared to $1.095 billion.
he budget proposes an allocation of more than $242 million to general operations, which includes police, parks, and transportation.
This budget calls for 66 new full-time positions — 29 funded through the city’s general, or operations, fund.
A boost to public safety is among the areas the budget addresses with additions to the fire and police departments. There are fire station upgrades, additional staffing and emergency preparedness initiatives.
The boost for fire includes the North Cape Public Safety Complex, 10 fire department positions — a new rescue unit and a hazmat unit staffing, fire station No. 5 rebuild and the replacement of fire station generators.
The police department’s budget includes 12 additional positions — eight police officers, a 911 operator and staffing for the Real-Time Crime Center.
The budget has earmarked $3.5 million — the largest amount ever proposed in a single budget — for expanding sidewalks. There is $11.5 million allocated to paving roadways, nearly double the current allocation.
There are funds for additional pipe and swale crews to address maintenance needs, as well as the design for the North Water Reclamation Facility.
There also are fiber and wireless connectivity upgrades, bridge maintenance, and expansions at key water treatment facilities among the items proposed in the 2025 budget.
The budget includes investments in park enhancements and shoreline improvements with the most significant investment — $10.4 million — for the acquisition of the old golf course, something the city has been working on for nearly two decades.
There is $1.6 million allocated to beautification projects.
Money also is allocated to the design of a new neighborhood park at Northeast 15th Street, as well as repairing park boardwalks.
There will be a town hall on July 25 for the community. Individuals can also view it on Comcast Channel 98, Centurylink Channel 94 and on the CapeTV YouTube channel.
Cape Coral City Council will adopt the final budget in September after two public hearings scheduled for 5:05 p.m. on Sept. 12 and Sept. 26.
The Wednesday, July 24, City Council meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. in City Council chambers, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd. The meeting is open to the public.
