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The Marco Island Taxpayers Association, a watchdog for city spending and tax collecting, met to discuss what issues may still need to be addressed as the city heads into its final budget discussions Monday.

Rain and threats of stormier weather kept attendance low at MITA’s meeting Tuesday at Marco Community Bank, leaving the board unable to conduct business without a quorum.

The conditions did not stop MITA President Fay Biles from leading the group’s discussions.

“September 15 is the last time we can bring up any of the budget figures,” Biles reminded the four members and asked if anyone still had questions on the budget.

To that, Ken Honecker responded: “It’s a done deal. Moses could say ‘don’t do it. There will be 10 plagues,’ and (the City Council) will say ‘thank you Moses. Next speaker.’ ”

While Honecker seemed to believe the impact would be minor this late in the city budget process, it didn’t appear that would stop him from sharing his thoughts on several financial issues including a need to restructure water and sewer rates, which are heavily based on usage causing budget crunches when water restrictions take effect.

Biles estimates MITA has about 700 members and two visitors to this week’s meeting may lead to a small increase in that number.

Candice and Ray Seward say they have lived on Marco Island full time for about one year after moving from Maryland. The couple said they were concerned about some decisions made by the City of Marco Island’s elected councilors and staff, causing them to consider becoming two of MITA’s newest members.

“They just seem like tax and spend politicians,” Candice Seward said, calling the approximate 20 percent millage rate increase from 1.2048 last year to 1.454 this year “insane.”

The group seemed to agree on their opposition to the tax rate increase.

“There were seven councilors unanimous about this tax increase. You can’t even find seven people in Town Center who want a 22 percent increase,” Honecker exclaimed.

While Biles and Amadeo Petricca seemed to celebrate their win of removing the fire assessment from this year’s tax bill, they expected to fight the issue again shall it return.

Honecker predicted the fire assessment, a fee for fire service based on property type versus property value, would “rear its head again” in April, when many Islanders are not here.

“If they pass it, we’ll file a lawsuit. I though they should know that,” Biles said warning the City Council about MITA’s take on the issue.

Honecker predicted next year’s city budget. City Councilors and officials know what the budget is, it’s going to be up to the spending cap, he said.

The spending cap which was set in the city’s charter when the Marco Island incorporated about 10 years ago allows for a maximum of a 3 percent increase from this year’s budget plus a cost of living adjustment.

“It will be $2 million more than this year,” Honecker said adding that since City Council has used the spending cap to figure each year’s budget they could address budget issues when more residents are on-island.

He posed the rhetorical question aloud: Why not discuss how to raise the extra approximate five percent in the winter months when more people are here?

“Wayne Waldack is insistent on bringing the spending cap back up,” Biles said.

That’s fine with her, she added.

“They changed the (city) charter from actual expenses to budget expenses. If we have a referendum, part of it will be going back to the original language of the charter,” she said.

MITA meetings are held 5 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at Marco Community Bank, 1770 San Marco Road.