The Gainesville City Commission voted Thursday on the first reading to place the Florida Theater on the local register of historic places and to implement a 20% increase in residential garbage rates—initially moved forward in December. 

The commissioners also discussed the upcoming budget season, hiring freezes and police data.  

The residential garbage increase will cost customers between $4.10 and $8.15 per month, depending on what size trash cart they use. Mayor Pro Tempore Bryan Eastman, who led Thursday’s meeting in Mayor Harvey Ward’s absence, said the city was able to find a 5% reduction compared to the proposed 25% increase initially brought forward by staff.  

He said as prices increase the city must adjust to provide this core service. However, the topic lacked much conversation as the December vote largely settled the issue, with commissioners sounding off at the time.  

The garbage fee item will return for a final vote before it heads to customer bills. Public Works Director Brian Singleton told the City Commission that customers reported incorrect bills in the previous days. He said the problem was traced to an issue with the bill creation that runs through Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU).  

He said city staffers are working to fix it, but the higher recent bills aren’t because the city has started the 20% increase yet.  

The City Commission followed in step with the City Plan Board and approved the placement of the Florida Theater, 233 W. University Ave., on the local register of historic places. The plan board made its recommendation in December.  

The owner hopes the designation will open grant opportunities to restore the building, previously the Great Southern Music Hall. This item will also need a final vote at a future meeting. 

Gainesville Police Department (GPD) staff presented a report to the commissioners for the last four months of 2024. The report highlighted conveyance burglaries (thefts from vehicles) as the top source of stolen firearms at 54%.  

In 2024, GPD reported 109 stolen firearms, and Major Jaime Kurnick said it’s a big trend that citizens should be aware of—and lock their vehicles accordingly. Nearly 20% of all firearms seized by GPD were reported stolen, the report showed.  

GPD staff said personnel numbers are trending in the correct direction with a goal of hiring 39 more officers this year, compared with 31 in 2024.  

Commissioner Ed Book pulled an item from the consent agenda concerning the upcoming budget season, and commissioner discussed hiring freezes, right-sizing departments and the uncertain future with GRU.  

Eastman said he’d like to see how Gainesville’s city departments compare to similar cities in terms of staffing numbers. He said the city has been in a holding pattern the last couple of years—since the Florida Legislature placed GRU under a separate authority structure.  

He said the city needs to right-size those departments.  

City Manager Cynthia Curry said she already has a soft hiring freeze in place and plans to make it more stringent on March 1. She said her COO and HR director also agonize over every position before taking the hire to her for approval.  

The commission passed a motion for staff to bring back a “single report with recommendations for consolidation, efficiency, and staff sizing and scope for respective departments. These recommendations should consider data and aspects such as but not limited to previous years’ numbers/staffing, previous data on overlapping services, steering committee to evaluate essential positions, job audit, the 20% budget cut from 2024, and hiring freezes.”