The Cape Coral City Council might offer Interim Manager Carl Schwing a one-year contract with a salary of $150,000 next week during its voting meeting.
The package would include $550 a month for car allowance, insurance premiums on certain items for Schwing’s wife, a Blackberry and travel expenses.
Most importantly, it would give Schwing the title of city manager and all the power of the position while council decides how to handle its search methodology for a permanent replacement.
Conditions of the agreement were worked out between Schwing and Bill Deile.
Should Schwing be terminated without cause during the duration of the contract, he would receive six months severance pay and car allowance, and Cobra insurance benefits. Should he be terminated with cause, he receives nothing.
Councilmember Eric Grill said he would support the contract as it stands when it came before council in a vote.
“I don’t have a problem with the contract,” Grill said.
Should a permanent city manager be hired while Schwing’s contract is still in effect, he would revert to the assistant city manager position for a length of six months. Currently, Schwing makes $142,000 currently as the assistant city manager.
Councilmember Chris Chulakes-Leetz said he is disappointed with the contract. He said he would be seeking 11 or 15 percent reductions in pay for upper management, and the contract simply did not fall into that vision.
In fact, Chulakes-Leetz said he would seek to eliminate the assistant city manager position altogether from the next budget cycle.
“I don’t believe we need an assistant city manager position in Cape Coral,” he said.
Also, Councilmember Derrick Donnell said he would not pursue “revenue diversification” after not finding a consensus among those on the dais.
Revenue diversification included a public service tax and fire service assessment.
“There’s no point in wasting time if we’re 4 – 4 … I will not be moving this item forward this year,” Donnell said.