The Gainesville City Commission voted Thursday to give $150,000 to the Hippodrome Theatre to help cover a loss of revenue, to increase officer pay at the police department and to change nuisance abatement ordinances.  

Laura Graetz, human resources director, said that the starting salary for officers at Gainesville Police Department (GPD) fell below that of peer agencies. During negotiations, the city and police union agreed to raise the salaries to $60,000—nearly a $10,000 increase.  

Graetz said other salaries within GPD also rose to keep appropriate levels between ranks. The three-year contract will consider inflation for future negotiations and return to GPD’s step plan next year.  

Commissioners said the city continued to support core services and first responders despite budget challenges.  

Earlier this summer, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $32 million from arts organizations across the state. The veto cut $150,000 in state appropriations headed to the Hippodrome Theatre’s budget and caused the early closure of its summer show.  

The Hippodrome has sought relief from Alachua County and Gainesville. The county released grants already earmarked for the theatre early, helping the immediate funding needs.  

Mayor Harvey Ward said he didn’t know why so much arts funding had gotten cut. He said he wanted the city to help but noted that the city doesn’t have money simply sitting around. All funds are already penciled in for other projects.  

“The sad thing about it all is that the total amount of arts funding that was replaced is basically a rounding error in the larger state budget,” Ward said. “It did not improve the state budget. It just harmed the arts and economic development of every community around the state. I find that disturbing and disappointing.” 

Mark Sexton, Alachua County’s spokesperson and former Hippodrome employee, said the county is also looking at how to classify the theatre as a separate category than other area nonprofits.  

He said organizations like Meridian Behavioral Health and the Gainesville Sports Commission already fit into this unique category that receives line-item funding instead of only grant financing.  

Sexton said Alachua County is the theatre’s largest donor and that the county would support the city using Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA) funds to fill the theatre’s need.  

“I would suggest, as wonderful as the things are that are in [the GCRA] plan, there are some things that are foundational to the downtown, and the Hippodrome is one of those,” Sexton said.  

The county is the largest funder of the GCRA.  

An initial motion by Commissioner Bryan Eastman to find $150,000 for the theatre failed for lack of a second. After further discussions, Commissioner Reina Saco said the county and city should split the difference and provide $125,000 each. Her motion to provide that amount from the city also died for lack of a second.  

However, Eastman repeated his motion from earlier in the meeting. This time it received a second and passed 6-1 with Saco in dissent.  

Commissioners like Ed Book, Saco and Eastman worried about other organizations also wanting funds.  

“I do have this real concern about process, and other groups that have true need lining up right behind them,” Book said.  

Sexton argued that the city has no obligation to provide extra funding to everyone. He said those decisions come with the territory.  

The newly formed Downtown Advisory Board (DAB) recommended funding the Hippodrome at the full $250,000. DAB Chair Linda McGurn said it would be a psychological blow to downtown redevelopment if the theatre closed.  

The city already provides funding for the Hippodrome Theatre. It also provides the building to the organization for free.  

The City Commission passed two final readings of code changes intended to aid law enforcement with crowd management and late-night disturbances.  

The first change deals with bottle clubs. Gainesville staff said there are no current bottle clubs in the city, but the ordinance will provide age restrictions and operating times for any that try to open.  

The new rules also prevent a bottle club from opening as a dance hall or smoking lounge.  

In a press release, the city said the ordinance will “provide law enforcement with additional tools to ensure public safety and welfare on business property.” 

The second change expands the list of criminal activities considered a public nuisance on business properties.  

Business owners could face fines and special magistrate hearings for these activities happening on their property, including gang activity, prostitution, the sale of illegal drugs, and stolen property-related crimes, murder, aggravated assault, and repeated violations of assault and battery, and of burglary and theft. 

GPD Major Jaime Kurnick said businesses might be closed for the day without owners aware of what’s happening through the night on their premises.  

“It’s never our first course of action to jump straight into enforcement in these situations because we want to make sure the owners understand what’s happening first,” Kurnick said in the city release.