Konish: The GRU Authority has failed to implement HB1645
Letter to the editor
While the initially-appointed GRU Authority members included activists who understood and appreciated the dire financial circumstances that confront GRU, the current Authority is feckless. Former Authority members James Coates and Robert Karow wanted to stop the direct transfer from GRU to the City and gut the Service Level Agreement (SLA) losses (indirect transfer), but no motion ever attracted a majority of votes.
The newest appointee skipped his second meeting on October 7, 2024, which featured NO ACTION ITEMS on the agenda. The Authority has failed to show up for work at least once per month as required by HB1645, with no explanation for their failure to meet in July 2024.
City Attorney Daniel Nee appears to have withdrawn but undoubtedly continues to obstruct as per usual. GRUA Attorney Scott Walker filed a beautifully drafted lawsuit against the “City” but not against the City Commission and/or City Commissioners and Mayor in their “official capacity,” as with Supervisor of Elections Kim Barton.
There is no plan for meeting our end-of-the-decade electrical energy needs. No rate relief or improved compensation for GRU workers is suggested while GRU hemorrhages massive Service Level Agreement losses into coffers controlled by the Gainesville City Commission (off the books).
There is no talk of unbundling our sky-high GRU bills by getting garbage and stormwater (non-GRU matters) off our onerous GRU bill. Failure to pay GRU in full online monthly results in loss of electrical service (first), along with an avalanche of additional GRU money demands.
No concern over the numbers of involuntary disconnections of GRU electricity for nonpayment is shown by anybody in a position of authority over GRU.
HB1645 is only as good as the appointees. While preferable to annointees, I am disappointed and feel badly for Keith Perry, Chuck Clemons, and their staffs.
Jim Konish, Gainesville
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GRU will likely fail to meet its financial obligations and go bankrupt in the coming five years. At least it’s away from the City Comm thieves who robbed it for 25 years. FPL, JEA, Duke or Gulf power could restructure most of the debt then give 10 million of it to the city to pay off. Need professional management and a real corporate board oversight, not some junkie inexperienced board. Carter? A joke who doesn’t want to make waves. No experience in this anyway. Go back to golf carts. Get some real pros on board including a new GM, this one is soiled.
FP&L already bought Gulf. An investor-owned electric utility (IOU) would have to pay off GRU electric debt since since GRU interest is mostly tax-exempt while IOU debt is not. There are also problems such as subordination. The entire GRU “Net Position” is both meager AND totally dependent on a bogus valuation of the biomass plant. Sale of the GRU electric utility would require approval on a stand alone referendum. The devil would be in the details and I have no faith in the Authority or the GRU CEO/GM.
It could be fate, then, that another utility merges or buys out GRU. That isn’t a bad idea if it means investing in future power plant replacements and continued reliable service. If GRU doesn’t qualify for low interest bonds sales, now?
While I appreciate Jim’s frustration, I have to ask: is progress being made? Does a roadmap exist? Because it’s usually not reasonable to ask a group to unwind a ball of yarn by Tuesday when it was decades in the making…
It would be ideal if those past and current Commissioners who put this City in the hole we are in today could be held resposible for their bad decisions. The Biomess plant along with the lawsuits that followed was their biggest failure that attributed to the deep hole the City is now choked with. The ‘Green’ technology did not work, but they had a good saleman that must have promised them a big incentive down the line.
No not a great salesman, but corrupt rip-off artists who sold the willing “do green now at any price” idiots on the city comm led by Queen PH into the disaster of the century. Still paying for the idiocy!
Konish: it seems wastewater is almost double the cost of water…
That deserves an explanation.
Also, maybe the city needs to get back into the garbage collection biz instead of subbing that out.
How much does the city receive from the aluminum can recycling? That should offset our garbage bill…
Sherman, this is an idea that I considered prior to my run for the commission. It’s worth looking into. I would have some concerns about how exposed the city would be due to the safety hazards garbage trucks pose. I’m not sure if the city would initially maintain the same safety record as a private company. I drove for WCA for almost 5 years so I know the dangers. Also, government does a poor job of taking care of vehicles. Scrapping a $40k police car is normal, but a $200k garage truck is another thing. I have no doubt the drivers would unionize under the city which wouldn’t completely be a bad thing, but police and fire would have a fit because sanitation salaries pay more locally and nationally. Overall, waste collection services are a great revenue generator if you can make it work.
Don’t want him elected. He’s friends with failure and cling-on Poe, who robbed GRU of millions and increased budget by unseen amounts in his tumultuous tenure. Avoid at all cost. Connected to DEC who have ruined this city!
Poe wants to turn us into Springfield, Ohio by importing lots of third-world refugees here while he makes a buck. I guess “the professor” must believe he is too important to get a normal job (with his delusions of grandeur).
Right, professor with a BA in history that taught HS students on dual enrollment claimed to an economics professor but had no such degree, and was let go, fired!
Fareed, you weren’t elected for good reasons. Please spare us your “stay relevant tactics” for whatever elected position you will undoubtedly run for next. You should stick to driving trucks as you show a serious ability to get out of the tickets you get. How do you do that? I would also like to suggest that you stay off the zoom meetings for the fake police advisory board while driving those big rigs. I’m sure your insurance company would object too. Are you still employed as a Violence Interupter with the city? Just asking.
You got it a little wrong James. Should be –
“Jim Konish and Fareed, you weren’t elected for good reasons. Please spare us your “stay relevant tactics” for whatever elected position you will undoubtedly run for next.”
Konish brings facts to the table, probably admittedly goes off on tirade tangents sometimes but he brings in more important issues than most.
“…and feel badly for Keith Perry, Chuck Clemons, and their staffs.” *
Why?
They own just as much of this hot wet mess as DeSantis, the rest of the legislature, and the City Commission.
* don’t forget Jennifer Bradley. Even though her Wikipedia page denies any association with Alachua Co. she represents about half the county, including Gainesville, and is, therefore, just as much at fault as the others.
Keith Perry, Chuck Clemons, and their staffs are all fascist morons of the 9th magnitude. They should move to Russia where they will be most welcome by fascist dictator Putin and his oligarchs.