The Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority selected Mycoff Fry Partners to lead its search for a general manager during Wednesday’s regular meeting.  

The unanimous vote allows the utility to work on a contract with the firm and hopefully start looking for candidates in a month. The timeline presented at the meeting shows a potential seven-month process before a general manager might be selected by the authority.  

 A second unanimous vote also named Board Member Eric Lawson as the liaison between the authority and the search firm.  

General Manager Tony Cunningham has said that he will apply for the position when opened.

“I think the intent of the board is to do this as quickly as possible,” Cunningham said.

Still, the authority decided not to go a faster route and use the city of Gainesville’s existing contract with Baker Tilly. The members said, as in past meetings, that they wanted to keep space between the general government and utility. Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) lacks its own human resources department for these issues since those services have been provided by the general government side of the city.  

The City Commission selected Cunningham as interim general manager in early 2022 before being given the permanent title. The authority initially showed support for Cunningham at its Dec. 6 meeting, but a week later it reversed course, voting 3-1 to open a search. 

Wednesday’s meeting was also the first with new legal counsel for the authority. Scott Walker sat in the seat that City Attorney Daniel Nee has occupied since the authority began work in October 2023.  

Walker serves on an interim basis, and the authority already has a request for proposals scheduled to return in February to find permanent legal counsel.  

Many public commenters discussed potential action by the authority on the general services contribution (GSC). The authority asked staff in December to bring back options to modify the current GSC formula. The formula is slated to send the general government side of Gainesville $15 million this year and next following a newly created formula.  

The authority’s previous discussion prompted a memo from City Manager Cynthia Curry that warned of severe cuts that could come from an eliminated GSC, including no funding from Gainesville to area nonprofits like GRACE Marketplace and the Child Advocacy Center.  

Cunningham said the utility staff plans to present GSC options to the authority on Jan. 17. That meeting will also include a preliminary report on GRU’s Integrated Resource Plan that will guide the utility’s electrical generation over the next decade.  

He said staff will also bring forward contracts between GRU and the general government where the utility feels it isn’t receiving enough benefit for the cost.