The Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Authority prepared itself Wednesday for a joint meeting, scheduled for Feb. 28, with the Gainesville City Commission. 

At Wednesday’s workshop, the authority voted unanimously to get Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s opinion on the general services contribution (GSC) and the legality of sending the funds to Gainesville’s general government.  

The authority also discussed the next steps for selling the Power District and GRU’s process for evaluating all contracts with Gainesville’s general government.  

All three of these items—GSC, Power District, and contracts with general government—will appear at the joint meeting. The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. at City Hall. 

Karow said he didn’t think the authority had enough information on the GSC to enter a discussion with the City Commission. He asked if the authority could have the attorney general’s office give an opinion.  

Attorney Scott Walker said Moody’s office often gives opinions on legal matters and that the authority could use the option.  

While opinions by the office can serve as a free alternative to litigation, they also lack any legal authority. “They are advisory only and are not binding in a court of law,” the attorney general website says.  

Karow said he wants to know if the GRU Authority can send funds to general government under the state bill that created the authority. The decision comes as the authority has had multiple tied votes to end the GSC, including at its Feb. 7 meeting, while it awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis to appoint a fifth member.  

Authority Chair Craig Carter said the joint meeting will let the two boards discuss their situation and get everything into the open.  

“If there’s something under your saddle and you want to get it out, that’s the time to do it,” Carter said. “It’s just a business meeting. We do business with them. They’re a customer of ours; we’re a customer of theirs.”   

Since the authority took control of GRU, it has operated under a business mentality, evaluating the costs and value of all contracts between the utility and general government.  

Carter said that’s another point to get across at the joint meeting. Moving forward, the authority and general government need written, clear contracts. The authority has worked to untangle agreements between the two entities that were intertwined since GRU started. 

Board Member Eric Lawson said he wants the two boards to move forward productively.   

“I don’t want us to get into a tit-for-tat relationship,” Lawson said. “I would like us to have really effective dialogue between the two entities on how we can function effectively.”   

Both sides could cripple each other if they began pulling contracts. General government manages GRU’s payroll and fleet management for 800 vehicles. Carter said he doesn’t know how the utility would take over fleet management if the service were suddenly cut. 

GRU currently provides $15.3 million in annual funding to the general government side through the GSC—down from $34 million last year. That money transfer has historically been the second largest income stream for Gainesville and made up around 25% of the city’s total budget. 

Concerning the Power District, the GRU Authority has begun moving in the same direction as the City Commission when it managed the utility.  

At Wednesday’s meeting, GRU staff said a request for proposal was sent Tuesday to hire a real estate brokerage firm to sell the property. The authority will need to vote to hire the firm at a future meeting.  

Staff said the firm will help GRU decide on the best way to sell the 24-acre property, whether as a package or splitting the land into separate parcels. The property was appraised at $22 million last year.   

The authority also received an update on the Florida Legislature. According to the GRU lobbyist, all the bills that would significantly impact GRU have stalled and won’t be passed.