Cape Coral residents putting plans for Jaycee Park, council stipends on the 2024 ballot.

Cape Coral residents are working to secure two referendums on the 2024 ballot to stop renovation plans for Jaycee Park and force the council to give up its self-appointed monthly stipends.

Cape Coral Preservation PAC is a new bipartisan volunteer political action committee hosting a rally at noon Saturday at Jaycee Park, 4215 SE 20 Place, to launch its petition signature drive to get the issues on the ballot.

"This park means a lot to a lot of people," said Clare Dooley, chairwoman of The Cape Coral Preservation PAC. "We don't want to lose this park."

The PAC opposes the overdevelopment and wasteful spending supported by the current mayor and city council.

Referendums explained

The PAC hope to place the following referendums on the Nov. 5 ballot:

• The first initiative will force the City Council to maintain the current character of the park as a natural green space and neighborhood park. This means that permanent commercial structures such as bars, cafes, food trucks, and an amphitheater shall be prohibited, and the natural shoreline shall not be replaced with a concrete seawall and boat slips.

• The second initiative would rescind the council's self-appointed stipends that doubled their annual compensation and force them to pay it back in full with interest.

Dooley said the PAC was formed recently and filed the necessary paperwork to start collecting petitions on Thursday.

"It's made up of people who want the city to listen to us," Dooley said.

According to the city charter, any five qualified voters may commence an initiative or referendum by filing an affidavit of the petitioners' committee and setting out in full the proposed initiative ordinance or citing the ordinance sought to be reconsidered.

To qualify for the ballot, the referendum must collect 22,000 petitions, 15% of the total number of registered voters at the last regular city election.

Joel Pusateri, a member of the PAC, said a lot is going against them, so they need as much help as they can get.

"We are hoping for a good turnout to kick this off on Saturday," Pusateri said. "We're in need of volunteers, and we're in need of money."

To learn more about the PAC and its activities, go to www.ccppac.com.

Previous coverage on Jaycee Park Cape Coral's Jaycee Park: Neighbors, council face off over update plans for beloved park

Related Florida Representative calls for rescinding Cape Coral's 'dangerous precedent' stipend

Why opposed Jaycee Park's renovations?

Jaycee Park is an 11.8-acre park that opened more than 40 years ago and includes large open green spaces, a playground, a picnic area, restrooms, a walking path, and a gazebo.

For months, residents have been up in arms, showing up to the city council and demanding that they halt any plans to majority shake up the neighborhood park.

Pennoni Associates, a consulting engineering firm, has been contracted for the preliminary and updated designs, which currently include two docks, both at the north and south ends, for 24 boat slips, a splash pad, a bistro/piazza area, and a bandshell.

"It really would be a huge negative change to the neighborhood," Dooley said.

The $573,565 contract for final design services with Pennoni Associates was unanimously approved in May.

Improvements to the park are estimated to cost $12 million for construction, and the city plans to issue a long-term bond to pay for the project, which means the cost will be borne by city residents and future residents.

Why oppose the stipend?

Like Jaycee Park, residents have been demanding that the council rescind its controversial stipends.

The council approved monthly stipends for each member on Dec. 13.

It was a voting item listed on the consent agenda and approved without discussion in a 5-1 vote.

Part of the justification for the stipends was the added responsibilities the members took on after dissolving the Community Redevelopment Agency.

The stipends amounted to $3,333 monthly for council members and $5,000 for the mayor. The previous CRA commissioners received no salary or other compensation for their services.

Council members are paid a base yearly salary of $37,368.96, and the mayor is paid a base salary of $41,954.11. A year of stipends amounts to $39,996 for each council member and $60,000 for the mayor — more than doubling their compensation. The total annual cost for the city would be $403,532.83.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cape Coral residents target plans for Jaycee Park, stipend.