Fire chief, code enforcement speak at meeting
During the first meeting of the New Business 41 Merchants Association on Tuesday, local business owners had ample time to grill the chief of the North Fort Myers Fire District and the chief code enforcement officer for Lee County.
Chris Noble and Ric Roberts were invited guests during the meeting at the North Fort Myers Recreation Center, which happened immediately following the adjournment of the civic association meeting.
Noble discussed the proposed fire assessment, which will charge a flat $215 fee to the 21,000 residences in the district, of which 16,000 are mobile homes.
“We lost 47 percent of our budget in the downturn and never asked for more money or grants,” Noble said. “We want to get to the point where we can be responsive and serve the public to the best of our ability.”
Reaction from business owners was mixed. Al Giacalone, owner of Rockstar Realty, said the fee was a good idea, but asked if the millage could be brought in on top of the fee.
“We developed this to replace ad valorem. That would be a challenge,” Noble said. “The fee assessment is proven and had been adopted. Cape Coral did that and are still waiting for a ruling to use that methodology.”
Michael Land of the civic association criticized the methodology because it doesn’t assess vacant land owners.
“Don’t you have to put fires out in the woods? Where do you draw the line,” Land asked.
The calls for service methodology will be used, which looks at historic demand for service. The study found that 82 percent of call volume was to residential properties, Nobel said.
Bayshore Fire District sought to use a similar methodology, but it was defeated by voters in June by a nearly 3-to-1 margin.
Roberts gave an overview on what his department does, adding that he has two officers covering North Fort Myers out of the 13 that cover unincorporated Lee County.
Much of the discussion came in wake of the upcoming initiative to clean up Business 41, with concerns about some of the crumbling buildings and hotels in the area that have made the area seem blighted.
Roberts said they get lots of help from volunteers and neighborhood watch groups. They have also stiffened some of the rules governing mowing.
“The BOCC has tightened the mowing standards from 16 to 12 inches, where we mow it. And it’s expensive. The third time we have to mow its $450 plus the citation,” Roberts said.
Cheryl Maymon, of CAM Realty, expressed concern over the sign ordinances, especially at Weaver’s Corner Shopping Plaza, which her company operates.
“It’s not consistent. I have tenants calling me saying some are being cited and others aren’t,” Maymon said.
“Our mission isn’t to be punitive but to get them to comply with the law,” Roberts said. “There’s a legal process we have to meet.”