What’s next for Cape Coral City Council after repealing stipend?

The City of Cape Coral elected five new council members Wednesday night, and their first motion was to repeal the controversial self-imposed stipend.

In December, the city council gave themselves more responsibilities and felt they should be paid more.

They voted for Mayor John Gunter to receive an extra $5,000 monthly and each council member to receive roughly $3,300 a month.

The five new council members, Jennifer Nelson, Laurie Lehmann, Derrick Donnell, Joseph Killraine, and Rachel Kaduk, took no time following their swearing-in, using their votes to repeal the stipend.

“I’m so glad that they got rid of it because it was sneaky the way they did it,” said Linda Phelps, who voted for the new council members. “Everybody deserves a raise, but not what they did. They doubled their salary. That’s reckless.”

“It feels like a huge weight has been lifted, and it was really easy to repeal. Now it’s time to really get to work because we have a lot of things we need to do for the future vision of our city,” said Council Member Jennifer Nelson.

However, other larger issues remain, with the focus on how and when they’ll address other controversies like Jaycee Park.

The development has gained the ire of residents as Jaycee Park developments have been set into motion, with trees being removed in preparation.

Voters await the new council to intervene and reverse the changes already made; however, will they follow through?

In addition to the Jaycee Park controversy, car washes and storage units have overpopulated Cape Coral.

The severity called for a moratorium; however, it is set to expire in January.

Another issue for residents has developed from traffic, construction, and a lack of sidewalks, causing concerns for pedestrians.

WINK News spoke with Cape Coral residents regarding the headaches associated with the traffic.

“There is some construction that has been happening for more than a year, and they’re still not finished with it,” said Ingrad Echeverrai. “It’s very difficult to drive because it’s been a long time. Hopefully, they can do something about it.”

“Maybe some of those areas that don’t have traffic lights probably should,” Stefan Williams said. “There are some accident-prone spots in the area.”

“I’d like to see them clean up debris in the intersections,” said Steve Wolnick. “There’s always debris in the center of the intersections. Anybody could get a flat tire or spin out on it when it’s wet. It’s a hazard.”

While the five new council members voted to repeal the stipend, the three current council members voted to keep it.

Questions arise as to whether the two groups will be able to work alongside one another during future discussions.