MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — The Marco Island City Council voted 4-3 against adding a 3% fee on all bills from Lee County Electric Cooperative, the island's main electric provider. The council also abandoned a controversial proposal to add electronic tolls to the island's bridges.
A Marco Island neighbor says the council doesn't need an electric rate increase:
The electric fee ordinance, which was previously in place from 2004-2009, was reintroduced at Monday's council meeting. If approved, it would have generated an estimated $1.5 million in additional revenue for the island, with plans to allocate all funds to the capital replacement plan.
Ken Honacker, a Marco Island resident and former council member, opposed the measure.
"They probably don't need this franchise money, they're capped to certain sum of money, anything over that they can't spend, you'd be putting it under a mattress there's no point in raising the money," Honacker said.
The council can reconsider the ordinance at any time in the future.
Electronic Tolls:
Fox 4's Eric Lovelace spoke to councilwoman Tamara Goehler on why she withdrew the proposal:
In a separate matter, Council member Tamara Goehler decided not to present her plan for electronic bridge tolls after receiving significant backlash, including death threats. The proposal was initially introduced earlier this month as another revenue-generating measure.
Goehler explained that her original intent was to exempt workers and year-round residents from the tolls. Once she realized this wouldn't be possible, she withdrew the proposal.
"My job is to make my constituents of this island easier, more comfortable and happier and not more complicated," Goehler said.
Despite these setbacks, Goehler indicated that the island still needs additional revenue sources and plans to continue proposing new ideas to address this need.
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