Presentations, ordinances to top Cape Council agenda
An update from the Lee County Business Economic Development office will be a top agenda item at Monday’s Cape Coral City Council meeting.
Christopher Spiro, of the Horizon Council Outreach Committee, will make a presentation on the state of the council and how it plans to “Go back to the basics” by reaching out to develop open lines of communication with business and government entities to continue economic development in Lee County.
By doing this, their messages can be sent to the Lee County Board of County Commissioners, which relies on the Horizon Council to help make choices that impact their constituents.
Spiro also will present the Horizon Council’s accomplishments, which includes 14 companies expanding or relocating to Lee County, more than 2,200 jobs created at 1.5 times more than the average local wages, increasing the average annual wage to $43,161. This has provided an estimated $620 million into the local economy.
Also, housing coordinator Amy Yearsley will break down the recent Southwest Florida Affordable Housing Symposium which occurred in Punta Gorda on April 20.
The symposium discussed the meaning of affordable housing and who needs it.
The Florida Housing Coalition said that 40 percent of all housing in Florida is devoted to low-income households. The problem is that 39 percent of all jobs fall below the minimum survival wage of $13.71 per hour, with 60,000 Floridians with median wages below $10 per hour.
There also will be two ordinances City Council will consider, one that would amend the capital budget for this fiscal year by more than $58.3 million, and another to approve the school bus lease agreement between the city and the Cape Coral Charter School Authority.
There also will be a resolution that would provide for the collection of fees to construct an aboveground storage tank for the irrigation systems within the North 2 and Southwest 6 & 7 UEP areas.
The city council also will consider filling a vacancy for an alternate position on the Planning & Zoning Commission. There are five applicants for the position.
The consent agenda will include approval of the purchase of 88 laptops, approval of a construction manager for the Southeast 47th Terrace streetscape improvement project, and accepting a donation from Guardian Angels to Special Populations for an 11-passenger bus.
The meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd.