Laurie Lehmann
Published 7-23-24
BUDGET
The City of Cape Coral has an enormous budget. How should priorities be set? Where could spending be reduced? What investments are needed? Is compensation adequate for the Council, Police, Fire/EMS, and other staff? Is staffing adequate, inadequate, overstaffed? Is baseline budgeting appropriate or should zero based budgeting be employed? Your take on tax assessments related to millage and rollback considerations. State and explain your position on the Stipend controversy.
Priorities need to be set according to need. Spending could be reduced by maintaining what we already have before spending money on new projects. There needs to be citizen’s input prior to starting new projects. Compensation is adequate for the council- prior to running for a council seat, we all know what the wages are for a (per the charter) part time position. If a candidate for council doesn’t agree with the current compensation then DON’T RUN. Compensation
Is not adequate for police, fire/ems which is why they do not stay work and live in Cape Coral. At present I am not familiar with staffing in all , or overstaffed departments. Tax assessments need to be reassessed related to the millage rate- at present the millage rate stayed the same but all homes were reassessed at a higher value thus our taxes went up. The STIPEND needs to be rescinded and the charter changed so that this can not happen again. The current stipend was state money and the restrictions on it were that it could not be called a salary increase thus it was called a stipend. This should never have happened!
WATER/SEWER
How should the approach to municipal water and sewer hookups in the North Cape be managed and costs assessed to provide and complete current and future infrastructure needs? Include thoughts on resident and city cost, disruption, water quality, ground water impact and community growth.
How should the approach to municipal water and sewer hookups in the North Cape be managed and costs assessed to provide and complete current and future infrastructure needs? Include thoughts on resident and city cost, disruption, water quality, ground water impact and community growth.
Before going any further with the water and sewer installations and hookups in the North Cape we need to speak to Charlotte County and find out why they are only charging homeowners 18 K instead of 35K in the Cape. We are missing the boat somewhere and we need to find out why. Homeowners further need to be aware that the 35K is to run the pipes down the street, there is an additional cost for them to hook into the city water and sewer and reclaimed water. We also need to look into future needs 10-15 years down the road so that we are installing the proper system for now and years to come, otherwise we are wastefully spending money.
TRAFFIC
What traffic priorities should the city emphasize to reduce driving times and improve safety? Include thoughts on side street speed limits, traffic light optimization, freeway connectivity, road maintenance, lane capacity, sidewalks, and bike paths. What to do about the “Land of the 4Ways” (NE and NW 4 way stop intersections).
What traffic priorities should the city emphasize to reduce driving times and improve safety? Include thoughts on side street speed limits, traffic light optimization, freeway connectivity, road maintenance, lane capacity, sidewalks, and bike paths. What to do about the “Land of the 4Ways” (NE and NW 4 way stop intersections).
Street signs and traffic lights damaged by hurricane IAN need to be repaired and/or replaced. Side street speed limits need to be reduced and ENFORCED. 4Way stops obviously are not working not because of full time residents but we have a high rate of seasonal renters who are not familiar with 4 ways. Traffic lights would help correct this problem. We need to look at the storm drains and sewer piping system throughout the city- we may find that the piping is not adequate therefore why spend the money resurfacing the road only to have to dig it up in a few years to take care of piping is an example of more wasteful spending. We need to look at every project for the long term, not just here and now.
PARKS
Parks have been a big focus in our city and the GO Bond was a voter approved effort to upgrade our parks. How should budget overruns be managed for these park projects? Should projects outside the GO Bond like Jaycee Park and The Yacht Club be considered and how should they be funded and approved? Specific to Jaycee Park, how should citizen feedback regarding waterfront trees, bandshell, restaurant/bar, docks and operating hours be reconciled?
Parks are a big focus here in the city because citizens are concerned about the lack of green space. Jaycee Park was never part of the go-bond. No bar, band shell or boat slips should be installed. As far as the Australian Pines they can be removed one at a time- not all at once. As new trees are planted and MATURE TO CREATE SHADED AREAS then remove the immediate surrounding Australian pines. Jaycee Park needs to be left alone as green space and a peaceful family park- It seems that every project the city undertakes has cost/budget overruns- a complete accounting of each individual project to the penny needs to be done. The yacht club is a nightmare. The citizens do not want or need a palatial ballroom. Building a parking garage that plans on charging citizens to park is double dipping- we the citizens are paying to build it why should we pay to park. BE IGNORED NO MORE. Citizens need to have a say BEFORE projects are started. After all the citizens are paying for it we need a say where our tax dollars are being spent.
PLANNING
How should the city address planning and growth and what should be the priorities? Include impact on neighborhoods, traffic, infrastructure, jobs, city revenue and Cape Coral culture.
Advisory boards need to be brought back immediately so that the citizens and the city have a say on growth, impact on neighborhoods, traffic and infrastructure. City revenue/spending needs to be a joint venture between the city planners, advisory boards and most importantly the citizens.
CORE PROCESSES
How might the city improve core processes like permits, inspections, and code enforcement? What additional processes should be evaluated?
The city needs to evaluate the core processes before they can be improved. If elected I plan to research each core process and then make suggestions as to how to improve them by bringing the research to the attention of the city council and citizens.
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT
How should citizen input be solicited? Should Citizen Advisory Committees be reintroduced? Should the hurdles for citizen ballot initiatives be lowered, increased, left the same?
Citizen involvement can be accomplished through regular Town Hall meetings where citizens concerns can be addressed and responded to.
Citizen Advisory Boards should definitely be reintroduced- there is a wealth of untapped knowledge among the citizens who want to be involved to make our city better.
I am familiar with the hurdles for citizen’s ballot initiatives. Citizens are NOT listened to, their opinions do not matter to the current council. When an issue is put on a ballot it needs to be in plain English, not legalese so that everyday citizens understand what is meant prior to voting on an issue. I have brought this issue up during citizens input time at previous council meetings to no avail. If people do not understand what they are voting for, how can they make their best decision.
SUCCESS/FAILURE METRICS
How should the city measure progress and success of its endeavors? Should audit information be made public? Is an inspector general required? Should public feedback on employees be sought and considered? Should project reviews and budgets be disclosed?
Most definitely audit information should be made public, after all the citizens are paying via their taxes for what goes on in the city. There need to be transparency and honesty in all that goes on in the city.
The city can measure progress and success of its endeavors by input by the citizens.
I question the necessity of an inspector general- if citizens are being listened to and responded to by the city council. Yes public feedback on employees should be sought and considered. If there is a consensus of citizens that an employee is not doing their job then this should be carefully examined by both the council and the advisory board for that area. Yes, most definitely project reviews and budgets need to be disclosed and available to all interested citizens, otherwise nothing can be done to change the problems.
LAURIE LEHMANN
• I am running for CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2.
• I have lived in district 2 since 2004.
• I have been attending and speaking out for the citizens at council meetings since 2022. Citizens need to be heard and their opinions matter. They are not at present.
• I want the best for Cape Coral and its citizens, not wasteful spending. Maintain what we already have.
• The stipend needs to be rescinded immediately. I WILL NOT TAKE THE STIPEND.
• There needs to be transparency and honesty in all that the city does. At present there is no transparency exampled by the cone of silence at Jaycee Park.
• I am a retired RN (Intensive Care, so I am very detail oriented)
• I also have a bachelors degree in economics/accounting. I worked for a family owned construction company in New Jersey prior to attending nursing school .
• I plan on being available to all citizens whether in my district or not and putting as much time as is needed to make Cape Coral better.