Largest Circulation On The Islands VOL 8, NO. 45 SANIBEL 8c CAPTIVA ISLANDS, FLORIDA MAY 11,2001 MAY: SUNRISE/SUNSET: 11 06:44 20:05 12 06:43 20:05 13 06:43 20:06 14 06:42 20:07 15 06:42 20:07 16.06:41 20:08 17 06:41 20:08 operating and capital improvement bud- Goals, Budget gets. Armed with a thick notebook of infor- Issues Dominate mation, including statistical trends for City departments, survey results and the draft City Work Session report from the Five-Year Budget by Camille Kucaba Projection Review Committee, Council "members set to work selecting their goals ouncil member Judy Workman and objectives from among 50-plus issues summed it up in one word: "bril- listed under such categories as city man- Cliant." agement, environment, transportation, She was referring to an all-day work finance, development, services and plan- session May 7 devoted to goal setting and ning. Input from the Shared Vision initia- the upcoming City budget. tive and City department heads also was Reindl V-24 Offshore Powerboat The morning meeting, facilitated by considered. Stuart Langdon, concentrated on prioritiz- Langdon explained that the goal is the ing issues facing Sanibel. Emphasis fell on "end state" and that the objectives encom- managing the City, the budgeting process pass things or steps necessary to reach and the need for long range planning. The that end state. afternoon session focused on budgeting for Using the Sanibel Vision Statement of municipal governments, with Ken Small of "Sanctuary, Community and Attraction" as • the Florida League of Cities Tallahassee their framework, Council members chose office on hand. He presented "valuable community need, consistency with com- insights" into various budgeting methods munity values and cost as their criteria for and helped answer questions on everything establishing priorities. from debt ratio and the roll back rate to continued on page 2 but the consent judgment does not consti- Rental Agents tute admission of a violation by any of the rental agencies. Sign Amnesty The consent judgment, in effect, consti- tutes an agreement between the City and Agreement the agencies, which is under the jurisdic- by Camille Kucaba tion of the Circuit Court of the 20th Judicial Circuit in Lee County. This means welve local rental agencies have the court has the power to enforce the Throttleman Jeff Louwers and Driver Ken Kasten signed a Consent Final Judgment terms of the agreement and that alleged Twith the City of Sanibel in settle- violations can be brought directly to the rience was a huge success. ment of short-term rental violations court for a ruling without the need to file Sanibel Team With the offshore races coming to alleged by the City. additional lawsuits or take further legal Fort Myers Beach Saturday and Sunday, The consent judgment grants the agen- action. To Race Locally May 19 and 20, competitors and specta- cies amnesty for any violations that may The term "short-term rental violations" ith Captain Jeff Louwers on the tors should pay close attention to Team have occurred over the past four years. It refers to rentals in residential areas for a throttle and Sanibel Shell Owner PITA, number P4-23. Team PITA will be also provides that the agencies must meet period of less than four consecutive weeks. Ken Kasten at the wheel, Team racing in the production division of the W Fort Myers Beach Powerboat Races certain requirements for the amnesty to be Such rentals are permitted only in resort "Performance is the Answer" (PITA) test- implemented and continue. areas of the City. ed their skills for the first time through Saturday, May 19. Participants in the agreement include The issue has been a hot topic of dis- the choppy Atlantic waters in Daytona This local team is supported by many Royal Shell, Inc.; Orion's Stars, Inc., d/b/a cussion since January, when the City's for a second place finish. The U.S. Coast area businesses including Sanibel Shell, Re/Max of the Islands Rental code enforcement department began Guard reported marginal conditions for Dick's Wings of Fort Myers, Ireland Accommodations; Sanibel One, Inc.; VIP cracking down on alleged violators. this race on April 21 with the seas in Yacht Sales, Lighthouse Cafe, Sanibel Realty Group, Inc.; Sanibel The Sanibel Planning Commission excess of six feet, forcing the American Coin & Jewelry, Southern Tradition Accommodations, Inc.; Coldwell Banker recently adopted a resolution in support of Power Boat Association (APBA) to Landscaping and Fernando's in Fort McFadden and Sprowls; TPG Sanibel amending the Sanibel Code as it pertains reduce the number of laps from six to Myers along with the many prayers and Holiday, L.C.; Reservations Central, Inc.; to resort housing and short term rentals four. good wishes from family and friends. Island Vacations of Sanibel and Captiva, arid recommended the ordinance be Being that this was Team PITA's first Team PITA donates a percentage of the Inc.; Priscilla Murphy Realty, Inc.; Priscilla adopted. A first reading of the ordinance race, the APBA required them to start sponsorship funds and a portion of all Murphy Vacation Rentals, Inc.; and amendment is scheduled before City 100 yards back in the paceline. winnings to Angel Flight of Southwest Sanibel & Captiva Central Reservations, Council at its May 15 meeting. However, by the first turn in the race the Florida. They have also raised funds for Inc. The proposed "new" ordinance really is Reindl powerboat had quickly taken sec- Take Stock in Children. These agencies admit that violations not new at all, according to Planning ond place. Aside from the heavy swells of The best of luck to Jeff and Ken in may have occurred, according to a state- Commission members. The revisions the Atlantic creating a few minor bringing home a victory!^ ment released by the city attorney's office, continued on page 6 mechanical problems, the Daytona expe- From page 1 manager to develop demographics and City Council members agreed that budget process starts with setting goals economic statistics the Council can use to another workshop session was needed. and objectives and priorities," explaining City Work Session establish "a five-year strategic plan consis- Langdon's "homework" assignments that the budget is the mechanism which Mayor Nola Theiss said she looks to tent with the Sanibel Plan and based on included the writing of goal statements: gives city staff the resources to cause "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Connection 00 the citizens of Sanibel "to teil me what adequate information."' Theiss on traffic, environmental compli- everything to happen. I the City's needs are," and Council mem- In discussing city management, ance, environmental management sys- Ackley told Council not to review a D ber Marty Harrity agreed that "needs Council also revisited the •"micromanage- CD n tems, the balance of services and fees and budget by line item. "Talk with the city Joanne Claassen come first. The budget should be driven ment" issue and reaffirmed its strong sup- large houses; Walsh on the capital manager and department heads in terms To Celebrate Mother's Day by needs, not revenue." He added that all port for the city manager and the chain improvement plan, land acquisition and of goals, what you expect to happen Z property owners and part-time residents, of command in running the City. code enforcement; Workman on redevel- specifically." The dialogue of give and by Brian Johnson WHT NOT DO HBR WOBK FOB HEB AHB IBT HEK HAVE A MtfM not just voters, should be served in the "Staff issues go through the city man- opment and police and recreational serv- take gets department heads thinking ne day during her 32-year process. ager, and the city manager comes to the ices; Harrity on business/resident rela- about how a project should be done. career as the manager of I Other issues of importance noted in Council," noted Theiss. But the Council tions; and Brown on the Causeway and "Ask them to solve a problem, but the Bowne Street the work session included land acquisition, O has the right to initiate issues and intro- medical services. don't tell them how to solve it," noted Community Church in Flushing, traffic, the Causeway, redevelopment, duce topics brought up by citizens. "I Leading off the afternoon session, Ackley. The approach should be, "I'm New York, Joanne Claassen police services, employee morale, compli- don't want to close off ideas from the Ackley told the Council that voters expect looking for a result. You tell me what received a visit from an intruder ance with environmental ordinances and public," she said. more and more from City Hall every year. resources you need, and I'll either agree tall enough to play basketball for achieving a balance between services pro- Langdon, who helped facilitate the ''More services for less money," noted or disagree with you...and we go from the Knicks. vided and fees charged. Code enforce- City's recent Shared Vision meetings, said the mayor. there." "I looked up and there was ment, recreational services, and busi- he has noticed a "dramatic change" in The level of expectation has risen Theiss said she has always been both- this guy who was six-foot eight," OEC OF ADO tiET BBS 8UBEP WHILE YOtJ TUBWALL TUB MATTKEBffiES AMD MAKE ness/resident relations also were men- the Council, pointing to the "respectful, exponentially, and "no city in^Florida is ered by line item budgets. "It means what said Claassen. "His eyes were OET BBIJAXrASl— THE BEDS— tioned. positive feelings" he's observed. meeting the competition" when it comes we did last year is what we want to do twinkling - he was on something Vice Mayor Dick Walsh said selection "It's what the citizens want, for us to to city services, Ackley said.