Cape Coral council advances six charter amendments for further work, removes single‑member districts and forfeiture language from immediate consideration

The Cape Coral City Council on Oct. 29 heard recommendations from the Charter Review Commission and agreed to advance six of eight proposed charter changes for further drafting and public review while removing two items from immediate consideration.

Chair Leon, the Commission chair, presented the panel’s recommendations, which included switching from at‑large to single‑member council districts; requiring candidates to live in their district for the previous calendar year; tightening proof‑of‑residency rules to require two forms of identification and a sworn affidavit; clarifying the mayor pro tem selection timeline; adding protections that any future increase to mayor or council compensation be adopted by ordinance with a six‑vote threshold and not apply to the current council; and revising vacancy and forfeiture procedures. The commission also proposed a separate public‑safety command pay plan and edits to language on subpoenas and enforcement.

"The mayor and council members shall not increase the salary, any retirement benefits, any stipend, or any other type of compensation paid to its members unless such increase is approved by ordinance," Chair Leon said while reading the commission’s proposed charter language, explaining the provision was intended to require public debate and a supermajority to raise elected officials’ pay.

Council members debated process as much as substance. The city attorney reminded the council that he will not draft final ballot language or validate proposed charter text until he receives clear direction from at least five council members and must ensure any language can survive constitutional challenge. He also reviewed timing: items placed on the primary ballot must be submitted by April 20 (the city is limited to five primary items), while the deadline to appear on the general election ballot is July 6 (four items allowed).

After a series of council comments and a straw poll on “hard no” positions, the clerk reported a majority sufficient to remove two items from immediate consideration: the change to single‑member districts (five council members registering a hard no) and the proposed forfeiture/judicial‑review language (4.12), which the body also removed from the advance list. The council directed staff to bring the remaining six proposed amendments back for more detailed discussion at the Nov. 12 Committee of the Whole, and the city attorney to prepare draft ballot language only for those items where council consensus emerges.

What happens next: staff and the city attorney will review and redraft language where needed; the council must identify which charter items it wants on the primary (up to five) or general (up to four) ballots, and the city attorney will prepare the 75‑word ballot summaries the supervisor of elections requires. Council members emphasized the need for public outreach and time for residents to review the proposals before any referral to the ballot.

Ending: Council members and the commission thanked volunteers and emphasized the council will hold additional public discussion before committing items to the ballot.