STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

Tell us about it

• What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
• Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
• Upload photos & videos
• More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.

RELATED STORIES

• Marco to consider budget cuts, electric fee reduction
• Marco officials, past and present, respond to allegations of fraud
• Marco councilor rejects committee member’s allegations of impropriety
• Electric, water fees may be reconsidered at Marco City Council meeting

More Local News

• YMCA cuts budget, staff
• Marco Community Bancorp launches private placement stock offering
• City Manager's Weekly Report

Share and Enjoy [?]

MARCO ISLAND — At times Monday’s City Council meeting discussions sounded more like election campaigning than a session to wrap up the city’s budget.

Some of the most recognizable names in Marco Island’s political process seemed to be dragged through the mud at one point or another in the two-part meeting.

A public records request by resident Bill McMullan for e-mails between former city councilor John Arceri and all city officials, which yielded 600 e-mails posted on eyeonmarco.com, snowballed into rebuttals and counter-attacks.

At a previous meeting, McMullan said the e-mails raised concerns about “fraud” and a behind-the-scenes puppet master, Arceri, who appeared to tell city staff, including Public Works Director Rony Joel and Public Information Coordinator Lisa Douglass, what to do and how to do it. Arceri and Councilor Jerry Gibson followed up by saying the unfounded allegations were nothing more than personal attacks.

Douglass said the communications plan that Arceri commented on in the e-mail used as evidence of his “puppeteering” was a plan written by her in advance of correspondence with Arceri.

“What is so hard to accept is that I put in over 100 hours of free consulting time (valued at over almost $50,000 at my present consulting rate) helping my city at their request and get demonized by people as being part of some conspiracy, some part of personal agenda,” Arceri said.

Since the release of the e-mails, more officials have switched from playing defense to playing offense. Councilor Chuck Kiester said he was personally offended by a letter from Arceri to City Attorney Alan Gabriel.

“Mr. Arceri has now moved on to direct the city attorney to determine as to whether Mr. Arceri has a legal case against me. Who is in charge here? It certainly isn’t City Council,” Kiester said.

In a letter to the City Council’s attorney, Arceri accused Kiester of spreading hate and suspicion about his involvement in electric studies and negotiations. He also asked Gabriel for a formal legal opinion of the e-mails.

Kiester and McMullan have both subsequently said there appears to be the possibility of Sunshine Law violations in the e-mails, including an e-mail from Arceri to City Council sharing Councilor Frank Recker’s idea to set up a committee to study a city takeover of the electric company, Lee County Electric Cooperative.

Gabriel said he has found no violations of law in any of this so far.

While Kiester said there may not be enough evidence of Sunshine Law violations to hold up in court, he said he was primarily concerned that no one other than the city manager should be directing staff of how to do their daily jobs.

“I think we have a good grasp on that. I can understand the concerns,” City Manager Steve Thompson replied.

The special-called meeting in the afternoon was set to cut about $1 million from the budget, including a $50,000 reduction in legal fees. The reduction is planned to come from limiting attorney presence at planning board meetings.

There seemed to be few winners in the meeting which closed with scarcely one political name left unscathed.

Jose Granda, Chairman of the Code Enforcement Board accused Marco Island Taxpayer Association President Fay Biles of bigotry for alleging that his letter about putting electric lines underground was written by Arceri, adding that just because he “speaks with a funny accent” doesn’t mean he is not capable of authoring a well-written letter.

Biles said she felt personally attacked by Granda, who she said falsely accused MITA of contributing to election campaigns, which is contrary to MITA’s bylaws.

MITA member Linda McCune also said she “felt harassed” by name calling such as “malcontents and CAVE dwellers, citizens against virtually everything.”

All involved demanded apologies, but the only one who came close was Arceri. Chairman Bill Trotter said he regretted not addressing McMullan’s “false” allegations head on at the last meeting.

Council was able to continue with business and, if there was a turning point in the mood of the meeting, it likely occurred as Recker recommended the city find a way to continue funding youth, teen and family events needed to foster community spirit in a down economy.

Council unanimously approved funding for all city-sponsored parks and recreation events and full funding of YMCA swimming lessons. They approved limited cuts for community sponsored events and a new process by which organizations can apply for grants.

In order to fund an additional $50,000 for community events while compensating for the reduction in the millage rate, among other things, council decided to trim bridge repairs by $228,400.

Joel said the cuts would likely allow the Kendall Drive bridges to be repaired and may minimize or delay repairs to the Caxambas Bridge and the bridge on Hernando Drive. Remaining in this year’s budget is $2.25 million for bridge repairs and $500,000, which will be set aside for the future replacement of the two Smokehouse Bay bridges.

Other reductions from the initial $14.5 million general fund budget included a reduction in staff raises from 4 percent to 3 percent. In June, City Council approved a 4 percent raise and an additional 1 percent raise to be given at Thompson’s discretion for any city staff who implemented cost saving measures. This 1 percent cost savings incentive is no longer addressed in the budget. The change from 4 percent to 3 percent represents a $75,000 cut in the budget.

City Finance Director Bill Harrison said a process will be created to give staff who implement cost saving measures raises.

Also instead of hiring five new employees, three positions will be added to the fire department in January, saving $75,000 in over time and therefore contributing $75,000 to the 2009 budget. Fire Chief Mike Murphy said the ongoing cost of the three firemen will be about $200,000 annually after 2009.

While much was accomplished despite multiple allegations and name-calling, issues left unresolved included Kiester’s question of how $25,000 for an electric municipalization consultant is now budgeted at $75,000.

Joel said “it was never $25,000” and until the scope of the consultant’s work is determined it is unknown what the actual cost will be. He said the consultant recommended by blind votes from the municipalization committee will be announced in a matter of days, with City Council making the final decision at a November meeting.

Council voted 5-2 to lower the electric franchise fee on electric bills from 5 percent to 3.6 percent beginning January 2009. The fees will generate more than $1.5 million with $1 million to pay for debt for putting Collier Boulevard electric lines underground and an additional $500,000 not yet allocated, but possibly going toward putting lines underground in the future — as the fee was initially set to be used for in the 2005 ordinance. Councilors Forcht, Kiester and Recker have questioned the timing, given the national economic crisis, but council has yet to formally take another vote on the issue.

In other matters council voted to:

– Approve Marco Island Historical Society’s request for city-owned dirt from the Marco Shore’s facility to be used for construction of the Marco Island Historical Museum under the condition MIHS pays for testing the dirt fill for quality. (7-0)

– Approve on second reading an ordinance to establish grease damage prevention regulations for restaurants to protect the waste water utility from backing up. (7-0)

– Approve on first reading an ordinance to amend the beach management and vessel control ordinance with the condition that the 14-year-old age limit for motorized water vessel operation be reviewed before second reading. (7-0)

– Approve a 10-year water supply facilities work plan as required by the state to be worked into the city’s comprehensive plan. (7-0)

– Appoint Larry Magel of Hideaway Beach to the nine-member Coastal Advisory Committee created in 2001 to share recommendations with the Board of Collier County Commissioners and Tourist Development Council on areas affected by coastal erosion. (7-0)

– Maintain a $56,000 lien accrued from code enforcement fines and a sewer assessment against 625 Dorando Court, foreclosed by Countrywide Home Loans. (7-0)

– Approve assessment resolutions for Gulfport, East Winterberry and Southeast Winterberry sewer assessment areas. (5-2)

– Approve a resolution to reimburse up to $65 million of capital improvements, including expansion of the wastewater treatment plant to five million gallons per day, construction of the deep injection well and sewer construction projects, with proceeds of future bond issued financing. (5-2)