Cape Coral public hearing tonight on proposed city budget

Cape Coral officials are meeting tonight to discuss how they can use the $895-million budget to make the city safer as well as ease some of the traffic congestion.

The city wants to allocate over $43-million to the police department, which would help them get closer to their goal of being the safest city in the state with a population over 150,000.

Cape police plan to reduce the number of traffic crashes and add more officers to their traffic unit. Some of the money in the budget could also help the department get their first shooting range.

Mayor Coviello told WINK News they are looking to hire about 10 more officers, making changes in pay to attract good quality candidates.

Neighbors say as the city continues to grow, there is a need for public safety improvement.

“It’s not a huge city and it’s not a lot of crime here but there’s potential for an increase in crime,” said Anthony Sambrato, a resident of Cape Coral.

The city asks residents to come down to city hall and voice their opinions tonight at the meeting, which starts at 5:05 p.m.

There will also be a hearing about setting your property tax rate.