CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral’s City Charter Review Commission wants voters to decide whether to double City Council members’ salaries, but the proposal faces mixed reactions from current council members.
Hear what opinions council members have on the idea now:
Cape Coral voters may decide on doubling City Council salaries
The commission presented the salary increase proposal to the City Council on Wednesday, suggesting it be placed on a future election ballot for voters to decide.
Some council members immediately opposed the idea, citing concerns about timing and resident financial burdens.
“I don’t think it’s a good time for this for our residents. I mean we are just asking people in the north, northwest and east to pay for these connections for the UEP and although we all know it’s definitely a full time job, none of us up here signed up to do this for the money,” Council Member Jennifer Nelson-Lastra said.
Other council members requested additional information to compare Cape Coral’s council salaries with those of other municipalities before making a decision.
The proposal could potentially appear on either the next general or primary election ballot in 2026, though no final decision has been made.
Council members are expected to continue discussing the salary proposal at their Nov. 12 meeting.
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