
The Gainesville City Commission held its annual retreat Thursday at Hogtown Creek Headwaters Nature Park, discussing potential rule updates and priorities for the coming year.
Oliver Gilbert III, a current commissioner in Miami-Dade County, served as a keynote speaker for the morning session, and the meeting is available to watch on Facebook.
The commission discussed two rule changes about when agendas get published and the length of time public commenters have to speak at meetings. Because the retreat is a workshop, no motions were made, and all potential changes will need to come forward at regular or General Policy Committee meetings.
City Clerk Kristen Bryant proposed pushing back by one day when the clerk’s office publishes draft agendas for City Commission meetings. Instead of staff finalizing agenda items on Wednesdays the week before the meeting, the deadline would be Thursday, and then the clerk’s office could review that finalized items on Fridays (seven days before the meeting) and publish it to the public on Mondays.
The public would already have access to the draft items included in the proposed agenda.
Commissioners pointed out that circumstances can change quickly and require additions or subtractions from agendas even the day of. That flexibility would stay.
Currently, the city said citizens can view a draft agenda on Thursdays the week before the meeting and know 90%-95% of what the agenda will be.
Commissioners mentioned that they would like the public to have access to backup documents as soon as possible. Commissioner Casey Willits said having the backup documents heading into the weekend can often be helpful.
Another potential change would involve public comment. Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker mentioned allowing more time for subject matter experts and organizations. She asked how the city might define a subject matter expert as well.
Commissioners said they wouldn’t mind having some rule on the issue—or about groups of people pooling time and nominating a speaker. But Mayor Harvey Ward noted that the system, depending on its structure, might allow someone from the organization to still get up and speak, defeating the point.
He said the three minutes currently provided often allow speakers to finish their thoughts. He said the rules are flexible and he tries to give up to four minutes before drawing a hard line, but he said commissioners can always speak up during the meeting if they want to allow more or ask for a special exception.
Commissioner Casey Willits said the definition of a subject matter expert might get tricky, but he said the city could allow commissioners to “sponsor” a public commenter to get more time.
A commissioner, he said, could ask someone to come and give their expertise with more time. He said this would sidestep the expert question.
Commissioners also listed their top priorities during the meeting.
The top item was economic development—though commissioners focused on different aspects.
Ward said the city needs to tell its story of economic growth in the city and said he wants a decision made on the Citizens Field renovation project.
He said Gainesville has always been able to rely on UF and UF Health for good jobs, but he said the organizations just don’t provide enough of them. The city needs to get other companies into the mix. His focus is jobs and the tax base, he said.
Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut, who has championed the Citizens Field renovation project, echoed Ward’s comments. She wants a shovel in the ground by the end of the year, though the project will likely involve multiple phases and different construction times.
Chestnut said the city also needs to work more closely with Alachua County Public Schools for job preparation as a part of economic development. Duncan-Walker added that the city needs a job pipeline to get employees early and keep them.
Commissioner Ed Book said economic development for him meant a focus on three areas: downtown, Citizens Field and the Oaks Mall/Newberry Road area.
Book said the budget remains a high priority. The money the city has determines what it can do, and he said he hopes to keep the millage rate flat for the next year like Gainesville did for the current fiscal year.
Commissioners touched on housing as well.
Willits said the city needs a solid plan for using 10% of the Streets, Stations and Strong Foundations surtax on affordable housing like planned. Commissioner James Ingle said he’d also like to see what the city can do to boost affordable and workforce housing.
Willits and Commissioner Bryan Eastman mentioned focusing on Southwest Gainesville. Eastman said the city needs to get on top of issues before time passes and the commission will wish it had acted before infrastructure and other issues expanded.
Commissioners also touched on RTS ridership, equity between homeowners and renters, equity between East Gainesville and other areas of the city [especially concerning healthcare], rightsizing city departments depending on the future with Gainesville Regional Utilities, a cultural arts center and public safety (especially gun violence and pedestrian safety).
The question is when will this illiterate, misguided bunch learn to listen. It’s more than obvious the City of Gainesville’s continued failed decisions have led to financial ruin at the taxpayers expense. It seems like that is what the Gainesville voters want. Higher taxes and living cost that these Commissioners excel at. Good luck with that.
Okay, please tell me if I have parsed your comments correctly.
You say that “[h]igher taxes and living cost” are apparently “what the Gainesville voters want.”
Yet, you castigate the members of the Gainesville City Commission by labeling them an “illiterate, misguided bunch.”
That would appear to be a roundabout way of saying that the commissioners should NOT DO what the electorate majority voted them into office TO DO. Wouldn’t that more than likely result in their being voted out of office at the next election? So perhaps it is us, the voters, at whom you should aim your rebuke and name-calling.
By the way, I asked Google how Gainesville compares financially to other cities. Here are a few of the factoids it presented:
*Housing in Gainesville is 3% cheaper than the national average
*The average rent in Gainesville is around $1,600 per month
*Groceries in Gainesville are around 6% cheaper than the national average
*Utilities in Gainesville are around 5% cheaper than the national average
*Transportation expenses like bus fares and gas prices in Gainesville are around 8% cheaper than the national average
*Fitch Ratings upgraded Gainesville’s financial status to “AA”
P.S. You’re fired.
Thank goodness the GCC was the ones fired for draining GRU of money.
The article mentions using “10% of the Streets, Stations, and Strong Foundations surtax” on affordable housing. Never heard of it before – what the heck is this surtax? Gainesville has one of the lowest per capita incomes of any city in the state, one of the highest electric rates, the highest property taxes, a proliferation of exclusive & pricey HOA’s, and the 7% sales tax is yet another example of the city’s high cost of living.