Seth Johnson
The Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Authority will convene for a regular meeting on Wednesday to discuss the results of its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and to continue analysis of its monetary relationships with the general government. Â
The authority pushed back the IRP item from a packed meeting in January. GRU staff have worked on the plan for the past year with third-party consultants.
The IRP picks the best way for the utility to meet future energy needs based on forecasts of the market and other factors added by GRU staff. The results presented on Wednesday will show a need for more solar and an aversion for purchased power.
Over the past several meetings, the authority has discussed its relationships with the general government side of the city of Gainesville. Over the years, that relationship has evolved and shifted, often without formal agreements or contracts.
The authority, under direction to improve the utility’s fiscal standing, has begun analyzing those relationships to see which benefit the utility and its customers.
At its last meeting, the authority voted to stop spending $180,000 per month on general government services. The board members also split a vote on the annual transfer sent from GRU to general government. Â
That transfer fell from $34 million in 2022-2023 to $15.3 million in the current fiscal year. The authority discussed eliminating the transfer completely or cutting it in half. The savings could then be used to bolster GRU’s debt and rate reduction plans.
On Wednesday’s agenda, Board member James Coats also placed an item that considers placing the transfer in escrow.
The meeting also contains a voting item that could see a further reduction in payments from GRU to the general government for services.
The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. It’s located at the GRU Administration Building (301 SE 4th Avenue). You can also watch the meeting live on YouTube.
Sorry. The Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Authority is illegally constituted, so any decisions they make are invalid. But they’ll do it anyway. And we, the voters of Gainesville, can’t do a thing about it.
If we elected local leadership that acted with any level of sense and responsibility we wouldn’t be in this situation. Continuing to elect people who conduct our local government like kindergartners has out us where we are.
Funny how the people who keep repeating Eastman’s mantra that the GRU Board is illegal and illegitimate sound just like Trump. The courts have ruled that the Board is legitimate, just like the courts have consistently ruled that the 2020 election wasn’t stolen. Get over it.