Cape Coral Property Owners Stormwater Fees Overcharged $540,802

http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/520407.html?nav=5011

Nov-5   DREW WINCHESTER, dwinchester@breezenewspapers.com

A city-initiated inquiry into whether some big property owners were taking unfair advantage of an exemption program for stormwater fees has had an unexpected result – the city actually owes more than half a million dollars in retroactive fees.

Through May 12 of this year, 199 special master case hearings into the exemptions have been heard, according to a document from the public works office dated July 7.

Results of those hearings found not only a number of properties warranted tax breaks for stormwater, but also property owners who didn’t know they were eligible for the exemptions because their properties do not impact the city system.

The retroactive amount granted from those hearings totals $540,802.28.

The new exemption amount granted from those hearings totals $122,265.

Meanwhile, 134 properties lost exemptions totaling $125,437.50, meaning exemptions lost and new exemptions applied are about equal, in total, year over year, officials said.

Cape Coral Pensions, fire-lieutenant $109,000, police-sergeant $122,000

http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=12878829

The pensions of some Cape Coral employees are opening the eyes of city leaders.

New numbers released by Cape Coral’s Financial Advisory Committee show some of those high-ranking lieutenants and sergeants who retired in a recent buyout are making more now than when they actually worked.

According to the report, a fire lieutenant who retired in 2008 with a base salary of $73,000 is now taking in a $109,000 pension, and a police sergeant who retired with a base of $77,000 now has a pension of $122,000.

$40,000 Sex Offender Notification Program is obsolete and waste taxes

http://www.nbc-2.com/global/story.asp?s=12855729

Cape Coral’s police chief wants to do away with a program that notifies homeowners when a sex offender moves in nearby. He says the program is obsolete and a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Cape Coral proposes budget without tax rate increase

http://www.capecoral.net/Portals/0/docs/City%20Manager/FY%202011%20City%20Manager%27s%20Proposed%20Budget.pdf

http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/517914.html?nav=5011

Members also will have their first tentative discussions on the proposed FY 2010 – 2011 budget, which was released by the city manager’s office Wednesday.

The budget delivers on city council’s goal not to increase the property tax, with projections based on the current millage rate of 7.9702.

The budget also is based on no employee layoffs, and service levels remaining the same.

Property Tax Appraisals Drop Again

http://www.news-press.net/data/dataWorkBench/index.php?dataset=815&mode=search

http://www.news-press.com/article/20100602/NEWS01/100601089/1005/ACC/Lee-County-s-taxable-property-value-drops-15-percent

The county, its cities and fire districts will have to raise tax rates or cut millions from next year’s budgets after another drop in property values.

New assessments from the county’s property appraiser released Tuesday show the taxable value of county property dropping to $54.9 billion in 2009 — down 15 percent from the year before and almost 40 percent from four years ago during the height of real estate market. The numbers will be used to calculate local governments’ 2010-11 budgets.

$80,000 tax money spent for gifts to local government employees

http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=12471479

NBC2 Investigators found municipalities spending more than $80,000 on gifts for their employees.

Local property Values predicted to be worth less in two years

PMI is a company that guarantees mortgages around the country for people putting less than 20 percent down on their home purchases.

The company’s quarterly look at the nation’s 384 metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, named the Fort Myers-Cape Coral area as the third riskiest in the country. Risk in this case is the likelihood that a property will be worth less in two years than it was in the fourth quarter of 2009. Fort Myers-Cape Coral is one of many areas with a risk rating of 99.9. All told seven of the 10 riskiest were in Florida.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/may/05/naples-marco-island-real-estate-risky-pmi/

See top left chart of Worst Performing metropolitan statistical areas

http://www.pmi-us.com/PDF/q2_10_pmi_eret.html

Cape Coral Retired Employee Benefit Fund Short $53.6 Million

http://www.news-press.com/article/20100501/NEWS0101/5010414/Cape-employees-benefits-at-stake

Cape Coral has paid annual premiums totaling $14.4 million since 2006. To adequately fund the program, the city should have set aside an additional $53.6 million, according to its actuarial studies.

$800,000 to mitigate bird disruption at Cape Coral Festival Park

http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/516068.html?nav=5011

Scrub jay mitigation at Festival Park is going to cost the city just under $800,000 as part of a habitat conservation plan.

The birds, listed as a federally threatened species, occupy 74.8 acres of the 215 acre Festival Park.

The mitigation is required by the U.S. Fish and Willife Service to develop the Festival Park land area.

Cape Coral plans to cut consumption to slash energy costs

http://www.news-press.com/article/20100327/NEWS0101/3270348/Cape-Coral-plans-to-cut-consumption-to-slash-energy-costs

Green energy works only if it can save green, Cape Coral leaders say.

A recent proposal to run Cape Coral’s City Hall on green energy proved too costly. Instead, the city is continuing to push energy efficiency, which officials say offers a higher return on investment.

“I have a saying,” said city engineer Oliver Clarke. “A kilowatt saved is the same as a kilowatt generated.”

Quantum Energy Services, based in Michigan, told Cape officials this week after an initial investigation it would not make financial sense to fit the city with solar panels and wind turbines. Instead, the city is pushing ahead with a plan to cut its energy consumption by 10 percent by 2012.