Gainesville City Commission discusses possible changes to GRU governance if ballot referendum passes, approves MOU for Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance

BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the March 28 General Policy Committee (GPC) meeting, the Gainesville City Commission discussed possible changes to GRU governance if a proposed ballot referendum passes, reinstated a process for evaluating unsolicited proposals, and approved a Memorandum of Understanding for a Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance.
GRU ballot referendum
The first item on the agenda was a placeholder that will also be on GPC meetings over the next few months in case there is any new information on a potential voter referendum to move the governance of Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) back under the City Commission. Mayor Harvey Ward said there was no new information to present, “but I want to make sure that we had opportunities for everyone to be heard.”
Commissioner Ed Book asked City Attorney Daniel Nee if there was any new information, and Nee said he was not aware of any and “didn’t see any impediments” to drafting an ordinance that would eliminate Article VII from the Charter; Article VII was added by the legislature in 2023 via HB 1645 and transferred governance of GRU to a Governor-appointed Authority. Nee said he would be conferring with the Supervisor of Elections to get information about the deadlines for getting the referendum on a future ballot.
Book said all the email feedback he’s received has been “supportive of a ballot initiative that deals with the referendum.”
Nee said the earliest the Commission could vote on the ordinance would probably be their first meeting in May. He added that there are “a lot of different ways” that the Charter could be amended, in addition to simply eliminating Article VII.
Eastman: “I think there is a will for reform at GRU”
Commissioner Bryan Eastman said, “I think there is a will for reform at GRU, for us to talk about governance in a much broader way.” However, he preferred keeping the ballot language “simple” and continuing to have a discussion about whether “there are certain provisions or ordinances that we can pass ourselves that might streamline governance and make things work.”
GRU General Manager could remain as Charter Officer or be moved under the City Manager
Nee said that HB 1645 also deleted a separate part of the Charter that made the General Manager of GRU a Charter Officer, and Commissioner Casey Willits asked whether they would need to bring that section back if they wanted the GRU General Manager to be a Charter Officer again. Nee said they could do that, but “different municipal utilities are structured in different ways.” For example, some municipalities have the utility General Manager under the City Manager.
Ward pointed out that if the GRU General Manager was placed under the City Manager, the City Manager would not run GRU “any more than the City Manager directs the Public Works Department, other than overall general good management.”
Eastman said other cities with utilities either have an independent board to govern the utility or place it under the City Manager as a City Department. He said GRU was a Department “for most of [its] history… and it seems to me that when people are criticizing GRU and some of the decisions that got made, a lot of that criticism happened in that post-1980 period when we went from making it just a Department of the City of Gainesville – it was de-politicized, it was just a part of the City that is overseen by professional staff, and it was moved out essentially so that the City Commission could have more of a hand over what GRU did.” He said he supported moving it back under the City Manager: “I think if we have the opportunity to make this reform… it’s one that will solve a lot of the criticism that people have had about GRU and the governance structure.”
Public comment
During public comment on the agenda item, Bobby Mermer, Coordinator of the Alachua County Labor Coalition, said he supported putting the referendum on the ballot but said the ballot language should only concern whether voters want the GRU Authority or the City Commission to govern GRU; he said, “The average person doesn’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of who’s a Charter Officer and who isn’t.”
James Ingle from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said it is important to put the issue on the ballot “and give the people a chance to weigh in on how they run their local business.” He also supported keeping it “as simple as possible… I think the more complicated the proposed amendment is… the more problematic it becomes.”
Nancy Deren said, “This referendum is so critical to our future and our health and well-being. This was not an independent board; it’s an autonomous board with a firewall, and that doesn’t serve either GRU or General Government.”
Susan Bottcher agreed that “keeping it as simple as possible, I think, is really, really important… What we’re asking you to do is put a referendum on the ballot that’s going to give the citizens of Gainesville a choice: do you want the Governor appointing people to run the utility? Or do you want the people we elect here locally to appoint to run the utility. And that local message, that Home Rule message, I think, is really our North Star on all this.”
Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson suggested that the Commission ask their Attorney whether it’s “possible to do a special election on an issue. And do that by mail-out ballot. There may be some benefits to that, particularly if you’re looking at further changes down the line to the governance of GRU… Can you do a Charter amendment by Special Election mail-out ballots?”
Helen Warren also supported the ballot referendum and thought it would be “a good time to make the transition” to having the GRU General Manager under the City Manager instead of an independent Charter Officer.
There were no motions and no votes.
Unsolicited proposals
The Commission also discussed implementing a permanent process for receiving unsolicited proposals, modeled after a pilot project in 2022 that resulted in ongoing negotiations with The Knot Climbing Gym to redevelop the former RTS Maintenance and Administration Facility located south of Depot Park.
Following a brief presentation, Commissioner Reina Saco made a motion to approve staff’s proposal to reinstate the unsolicited proposal process, with application fees waived for nonprofits working in the areas of affordable housing and economic development and for projects within the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area. Eastman seconded the motion.
The motion passed unanimously, with Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker absent.
Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance MOU
The Commission also approved a Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Gainesville, Santa Fe College, and Alachua County.
Brandy Stone, Community Health Director for Gainesville Fire Rescue, said she focused on the term “Alliance” because the group will be a relationship to promote the safety and well-being of the community served by the three entities. The common goals of the MOU are to define and monitor the problem, identify risk and protective factors, develop and test prevention strategies, and ensure widespread adoption of effective strategies, guided by data collection.
Stone said that to engage community stakeholders and community members, there will be “almost a subcommittee structure where we have various sectors throughout our community represented in subcommittees, similar to what we did at our Gun Violence Summit with our breakout rooms.” She said the subcommittees will elect representatives to sit on the “larger gathering body” that will report up to the Alliance and take information back to the subcommittees. The Alliance will jointly agree on a budget, and it will be split “pro rata” between the City and County, with Santa Fe College contributing in-kind services. The MOU is to be implemented through December 2024, with annual renewals through December 2026.
Willits asked that the MOU specifically state that “justice-involved” (i.e., those who have faced criminal charges) people will not be discriminated against. City Manager Cynthia Curry said that staff would “try to figure out how to fit it in there.” Nee said that if the issue is a “sticking point” for the other entities, the agreement would come back to the City Commission.
Ward asked whether staff had spoken to the Public Defender, the State Attorney, the Sheriff, or the Clerk of Courts “because really, those all have a part to play in this. I’d love to get them on record as signatories to this. But if not, at least, I want to make sure that they’re part of the system… I’m not going to hold this up for that, but I’d like to hear about discussions we’ve had with them.”
Deputy Alachua County Manager Carl Smart said they had spoken to all those people, and “certainly we need all the players involved … to deal with this issue. So they have all agreed to be a part of this.”
Ward said he also didn’t want to exclude Alachua Police Department, High Springs Police Department, or the University of Florida Police Department.
Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut made a motion to approve the MOU with the discussed modifications, and Willits seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously, with Duncan-Walker absent.
The city commissioners are determined to destroy GRU.
So was there some kind of unintended loophole in the GRU bill passed by the legislature that would allow this public vote to rescind it?
No.
At what point does Desmon Duncan-Walker‘s absenteeism turn into dereliction of duties? That seat needs to be refilled by someone who actually shows up for their job. It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with her politics at this point…it is unacceptable for an elected official to retain a seat while rarely even showing up. And I’m sorry if she’s sickly – truly, I am, if that’s the case – but it is still unacceptable and needs to be publicly address at this point
Is Ed Book is trying to be even more disappointing and useless than Craig Carter?
Book need to recognize the financial damage that the City Commisison has done to GRU rather than picking a fight with DeSantis and the Legislature.
I’ve never seen someone sit on the fence as hard as Book. He thinks citizens on all sides of the political spectrum are just dumb. What a spineless man. Grow a sack and take a stance — any stance. He just wants to be liked and re-elected — just like all politicians. He talks in circles trying to please/BS everyone while getting absolutely nothing accomplished.
True. That was a wasted vote… won’t happen again.
I’ll throw my agreement in as well. Anyone that wants to get in the arena I admire for sure, but I was expecting something more center or center right, he’s essentially straight up left, not even moderate or lean left imo. I voted for him cause I recall his campaign rhetoric to be a bit different than the rest, I assume to get a vote from someone like myself. oh well, not the first won’t be the last time in politics.
+1
he’s a slippery man for sure!
Where the heck is Clemons?? He’s just been missing in action on all things regarding his “bill”.
Can he freaking say something?? Or is he flying the surrender flag?
His team put out a brief comment last week when this first came up. His argument (which I think makes sense) is that 30% of gru customers don’t live in the city yet the city is determining how to spend the transfers, iir how that was worded.
J, you don’t have a say in FPL’s budget or what they spend profits on either. That’s how it works when you hire someone – you don’t get membership to the board with your monthly check.
In many states, a municipal utility is not permitted to serve customers outside of the city limits. They have to annex the area into the city limits and then they can extend utilities and the customers can vote in their elections. I think that is a better system. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed in FL. Invstor Owned utilities are a poor comparison the way you phrase it because they answer to a Public Utilities Commission that has pathways of accountability from citizen complaints and reliability standards etc. A PUC / PSC can hold a utility accountable for mismanagement and corruption. The Gainesville city commission ONLY answers to Gainesville citizens and therefore the GRU customers living outside the city limits have no pathway. What they really need is an elected board, voted in by customers, like a Cooperative Utility. CoOp utilities, in my experience are some of the most customer-centric utilities in the country!
The Gainesville airport seems to be working fairly well run with a board consisting of members appointed by the city (5), governor (3) and county (1). That model might work for GRU, too.
The Gainesville airport seems to be working fairly well run with a board consisting of members appointed by the city (5), governor (3) and county (1). That model might work for GRU, too.
Isn’t that idiot Carter on the airport board?
OMG Sticky Jizz,
We are talking about GRU and you are rambling on about FPL who supplies power to your trailer. Why are you always so lost.
Where’s Clemons? He got us back GRU and fixed that ‼️
he’s working on freedom and getting taxpayers back plastic straws.
A municipal ordinance cannot ever repeal or conflict with any State of Florida Legislative or Executive action. The Supervisor will not put it on the ballot. If it were to erroneously put before the voters, it would merely be a straw ballot of no consequence. Desperate people will sometimes do desperate things. Only the voters or the legislature could put a binding referendum before the voters. Nee is further off the rails than ever.
And how bizarre that you need to point that out to them? Many boards in this county ignore or are unaware of the charters they represent. Incompetence or arrogance? Methinks a bit of both.
Arrogance. 100%.
They all know they’re a state chartered municipality.
They also exist in a state of unquestionable lunacy.
The Disillusioned City Government is still in denial they have been fired . They have made History by being the first group in the State of Florida to be so inept . The Onion is still being peeled back and OMG they have a rude awakening coming from pending audits that apparently expose massive amounts of money transfers that appear to have been discreetly hidden. Buckle Up Wokesville, more financial demise that will only strengthen GRU .
“Easy” Eastman wants “simple” language. The only thing that simpleton is capable of doing is confusing the idiots who voted for him. He’s yet to do one thing of benefit to the community and yet his constituents just fall in line. Bottcher can’t see through her political blinders that the City Commission is responsible for having botched up GRU. Would love for Deren to explain how GRU being continuously milked of profits by the City Commission is essential to our health and well-being.
Throw in Hutchinson and his gal(?) pal Warren and Gainesville’s lost all sense of direction under these political dimwits. Hutch and Warren should go back to their tents and take the rest with them to keep one another happy. They’re good at circle jerks.
Here’s what my common sense tells me is going to happen…
If Supervisor of Elections tries to put on the ballot – Attorney General will sue/petition for an injunction. This will be granted (duh) and will not be rectified before ballots are printed.
This will then be litigated over let’s say a year – and will ultimately be dismissed.
Beyond the State of Florida Attorney General, any voter and even our Secretary of State can intervene to keep it off any ballot that is not expressly made a straw ballot.
Read between the lines, they want to put it under the city manager so the financial lines will blur and what oversight there is with money being taken from GRU will forever fly under the radar of the public.
The WORSE idea ever! The city manager is incompetent so they want to put a manager of a major utility under that office? How nuts. There is no end to the stupidity of this commission
How can the same entity (City of Gainesville Commission) that practically destroyed GRU – leading to the legislature’s intervention – be able to reverse the corrections via vote? It’s already proven that Gainesville voters are inept and stupid. And what about the 40% of GRU users not in the City of Gainesville? Again, where is OUR representation in how GRU is run?
I wish they would do something to stop the panhandling vagrants from crapping up the city & fix the potholes…the GNV CC has ruined GRU forever with the biomass
debacle…they’re gonna bankrupt the city…
On a different subject, “Willits asked that the MOU specifically state that “justice-involved” (i.e., those who have faced criminal charges) people will not be discriminated against.”
How did he manage not to trip over his mouth long enough to be elected to this totally incompetent city commission? He has no clue, at all.
In other actions, the Commission signed a MOU that “drugs are bad, m’kay” and outlawing hurricanes as they are “detrimental to pedestrian and bicycle traffic”.
Regarding the GRU fiasco, I am awaiting the Governor’s next move in this chess game. I am confident that we will prevail with new board members.
This is crazy because I won’t be able to vote for it. I live outside of city limits and forced to have GRU.
The COG Commission members need to tell us why GRU Customers are so upset about energy prices in the first place.
Why did Chestnut send and email some months back crying about cuts to homeless programs?
Let’s not forget that GRU, as it stands now, and the COG Commission stands ready to cut GRUs hourly employees (blue collar positions)
PTO, 401 K, Safety Bonuses, and everything else they can, to cover up the millions in dept the COG accrued when it was a Dept of the COG.
And now, the Democratic ran GRU, and the COG has a whole battalion of blue collar,
(how shall I say, white good ole boy’s) that probably legally own a lot of guns and pickup trucks, going to work everyday in fear of their financial futures, and on the edge of …….
Well,,,,
With all the gun violence in Gainesville, let’s just say, Don’t Piss Off The GRU Boys.
Take their bonuses and retirement benefits and see what happens.
Because even the COG Commission is entitled enough as Democrats to take away from them, so they can collect their food stamps.
And then give those food stamps to the homeless.
So it might sound like a rant, but you guys are legally and strategically dismantling the GRU Authority that stands now.
Why? One might ask?
ALL Because of greed and entitlement.
In regards to GRU REFERENDUM… Let it be written, voted on and let simple referendum appear on Nov 2024.