SC Staff Report
Sanibel City Council took several actions in its nearly seven-hour regular meeting Tuesday, Dec. 6 at BIG ARTS, next door to the temporarily-closed city hall. Many of those actions will aid in the recovery from Hurricane Ian, which struck Sept. 28 and caused widespread destruction.
Sanibel City Council takes several actions in its regular meeting Tuesday, Dec. 6 at BIG ARTS.
SC photo by Shannen Hayes
Mayoral Proclamation
Mayor Holly Smith authorized a mayoral proclamation which waives the temporary structure fee of $431 for a recreational vehicle or park trailer on a residential lot and the demolition permit fee through May 7 and May 12, 2023 respectively. The waivers apply to residential lots with homes severely damaged or destroyed by the storm.
In response to unlawful or improper discharges from pools and spas inundated with saltwater, muck and debris from the storm, the proclamation includes a prohibition on “dewatering” them into waterbodies, adjacent properties without consent from that property owners or the city’s stormwater system.
Violators will be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor which carries a fine of up to $500 or up to 60 days in jail or both.
Planning Commission Seats
The Planning Commission has three open seats and the city is accepting applications to fill them. The deadline to apply is noon Friday, Dec. 23.
A resolution to reappoint two commissioners went before council, but no action was taken after there was consensus among the council to advertise the seats since that has been past practice. The open seats are full four-year terms, from Jan. 10, 2023 to Jan. 12, 2027.
Sewer Charge Relief
Since the city’s sewer system was inoperable throughout October due to the storm, council passed a resolution waiving charges to all customers for that month.
“The system’s ending fund balance is currently sufficient to pay for operating expenses,” Finance Director Steve Chaipel noted. “The affect of this one-month relief will be more fully analyzed during the next annual revenue sufficiency study.”
Other Council Actions:
• Approved the purchase of three vehicles for the police departments
• Extended the audit due date for the Historical Museum & Village to July 1, 2023
• Accepted $35,000 in grant funding for the police department’s marine officers
• Extended the debris monitoring services contract with Thompson Engineering, which is set to expire this month
People having new roofs put on should not pile the debris on curbside. It should be taken away by roofer. We will never get rid of these piles of garbage on our streets otherwise