GRU Authority votes to seek opinion from Attorney General, hears update on Power District
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the February 21 GRU Authority meeting, the board voted to seek an opinion from the Attorney General about whether it’s legal to transfer funds to General Government and heard an update on the process of selling GRU’s property in the Power District.
Upcoming joint meeting with the City Commission
During chair comments, Chair Craig Carter announced that there will be a Joint City Commission/GRU Authority meeting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, February 28, at City Hall. Carter said the meeting is necessary because the City is both a vendor and a customer of Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), and the financial transactions between the two have been “a handshake and a wink-wink deal” for many years. “We can no longer operate like that; we need to have something in writing,” Carter said. The agenda currently has two items: the Power District, and the General Services Contribution.
Attorney General opinion
Member Robert Karow asked Authority Attorney Scott Walker whether it would “be prudent to go to the Attorney General and ask for an opinion about whether or not we can, in fact, use the money for [the General Services Contribution].”
Walker said they could certainly ask for an opinion, so Karow made a motion to do that, and Member James Coats seconded the motion.
During public comment, Jim Konish said, “It’s clear that the transfer is allowed. However, there is a cap on it.” He said nobody seems to know how much money is actually sent to the City from GRU and suggested that the board also ask the Attorney General whether the City can charge franchise fees to GRU.
After public comment, Karow clarified that he thought the bill that created the Authority “envisions a transfer only if we’re not so heavily in debt and we have a profit.”
The motion passed unanimously.
Power District
GRU Chief Customer Officer Kinn’zon Hutchinson reviewed the current status of the Power District property, consisting of 24 acres near Depot Park.
Hutchinson said a 2023 appraisal valued the property at $22 million, and he said GRU could sell the property “as is,” including the administration building, or break it up into plats and sell the individual lots. A Request for Proposals was issued on February 20 with the intent of hiring a firm that will help determine the best way to liquidate the property so GRU gets the highest return on the property and can put those funds toward paying down its debt.
In response to questions from the board, Hutchinson said there are no known environmental problems with the properties and no debt associated with them.
Coats asked Carter, as a commercial realtor, whether he favored selling the property as a whole or breaking it up, and Carter responded, “I have an opinion, but I really think the proper thing to do is let whoever we pick, bring it back and have that discussion.
The item was informational, so no motions were made.
The “authority” is illegitimate because only 1 of it’s members meets the basic requirements for membership. Any actions it takes will eventually be vacated for that reason, or we do not live in a state with serious and honest leaders and judges.
I don’t believe I have ever encountered someone with so little actual knowledge or facts embarrass themself day after day acting like they were a mystic seer.
yep Jazzy is a legendary judge in his , sorry,it’s mind.
The judge in the lawsuit signaled this week that he is going to side with the plaintiff in regards to the residency requirements. It was clear from the moment the bill was introduced last year that the intention was only one member live outside the city. This entire farce will only get worse when at least two, and perhaps all 4, members are removed and they have to start over. It’s sad how poorly this was implemented from Tallahassee after such a significant accomplishment of passing a law that showed great promise. A tragic stain on the record and legacy of its sponsor.
An appeal of a successful judgment would automatically stay it for a long time.
Tell me why I’m wrong.
Make my day.
We don’t have to tell you way you are wrong again, as usual. A Judge on multiple occasions has made it clear your theory it like your breath (it smells like dog crap)
Tell me why I’m wrong Mayor, spell it out like I’m 13.
Make my day.
There is no legal precedent in Florida to invalidating decisions of a board based on the failure of board members to fulfill residency restrictions. None. Illegitimate is not a legal concept here.
Sure Ed, because not meeting residency requirements clearly spelled out in a law written a year ago – it wasn’t during the Civil War Dude – surely cannot be understood without legal precedent. WTF is wrong with you, I mean besides being butt hurt from losing a election?
No decision was invalidated by an Alachua County Commission comprised of two folks who couldn’t figure out their legal address. Try again Jazz. Next time use facts not your own political agenda driven hopes and wishes.
The county commission was down 2 out of five members due to residency issues. The “authority” is down 4 out of 5 due to residency issues. Which one had/has a quorum?
Take your time.
“A physically-present majority of the entire Board shall constitute a quorum.
Resolution 2021-32 (Board Rules of Procedure)
Alachua County
https://alachuacounty.us › BOCC › ADACompliant
PDF”
Did you run for mayor on a platform of giving GRU away to the state GOP? That’s a fair question.
Will they be asking the AG if authority members can live outside the city limits when the enabling legislation clearly says they have to live in tbe city.
The Authority is doing excellent work. Please keep it up.
Sure sell the land. I am sure there are already backroom deals with local developers who cannot wait to buy it cheap and throw up 6 story monstrosities to further ugly downtown. Dats the way it works.
Here’s the intent of selling the property: “GRU gets the highest return on the property and can put those funds toward paying down its debt.”
This will likely be the actual use, (if City Commission has any determination of proceeds): City Commissioners will reallocate the funds for gun violence summits, commission lunches and travel costs, couple more tents, more administrative bloat hiring and last but not least, salary raises for a select number based on fealty to the Commission.
Because we know how fiscally incompetent they are.
“Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), and the financial transactions between the two have been “a handshake and a wink-wink deal” for many years.”
Great….so for years the city has been pilfering & pissing away the revenues of GRU. Had enough already?
Wasn’t Carter part of those wink-wink deals as a City Commisisoner?
Any chance of asking when we get member #5 also?
The citizens of Gainesville own that land and it’s disposal is exactly the kind of decision – it is in the center of a highly successful revitalization of a previous wasteland in downtown –
which should be made by elected leaders, not strangers from out of town, appointed solely because they were of the same party as those who can’t get elected there.
Corrupt idiots practicing Soviet style autocracy.