The Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority hosted a special meeting Monday to discuss the fiscal year 2025 budget.
The authority failed to fire General Manager, Tony Cunningham, in a vote of 2-3. Additionally, a cut of over $20 million from the proposed budget was authorized while other aspects of the budget still remain unclear.
A prior budget meeting was held May 29, and no resolution was reached due to disagreement over the reduction of the General Funds Transfer, the amount of revenue GRU returns to the city each fiscal year.
GRU General Manager Tony Cunningham and GRU Authority Chair Ed Bielarski presented separate fiscal proposals.
GRU’s $68 million in debt needs to be mitigated, Bielarski said, criticizing Cunningham’s fiscal year 2025 budget, which included a 25% reduction in the GFT.
Half of the authority referred to the city as “an addict” of the GFT and advocated to lower it slowly while the other argued for its immediate dissolution.
“I want the GFT gone,” said David Haslam, a GRU Authority member.
If there is a continuation of the GFT, Bielarski said one solution was for the authority to cut funding to 27 vacant positions currently accounted for in the budget to minimize GRU debt.
“You are asking the customer to prepay for people that you have yet to hire, and it’s in their rates,” Bielarski said. “Now what would you say to somebody that can’t afford their bills?”
However, Cunningham denied customers are currently paying for vacant job openings.
“Those are positions we are actively hiring and filling because we need them,” he said.
During public comment, Alachua County resident Chuck Ross addressed the board with concerns regarding the potential miscalculation of GRU debt.
“You fail to allot capital contributions from third parties,” he said. “The number 68 million is overstated.”
Ross expressed disapproval of Bielarski’s proposed course of action.
The next GRU meeting is scheduled for June 12.
Contact Morgan Vanderlaan at mvanderlaan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @morgvande.
Morgan Vanderlaan is a second year Political Science major and the Fall 2024 Politics Enterprise Reporter. When she's not on the clock she can be found writing, reciting, and watching theatre!
