State Rep. Chad Johnson, R-Chiefland, announced on Wednesday that he would table a draft bill to amend the state statutes that created the Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Authority.
Johnson told Mainstreet on Tuesday that the draft bill seeks to clarify parts of the original bill, House Bill 1645 from 2023. The new bill, he said, specifically aimed to assure outside investors and bond rating agencies about the reliability and backing of the GRU Authority.
He said the changes were brought to him by the utility. The changes also touched on several points of dispute between the Authority and the Gainesville City Commission.
In a Wednesday press release, Johnson said he would table the proposed bill to allow for more input. He added that he believed the GRU Authority would continue to lead the utility through current disputes.
“I am fully confident that HB 1645 will withstand all current and future legal challenges and I have chosen to table the discussion for now to get greater input from all stakeholders involved, so that we can all move forward together to build the strongest possible utility for the ratepayers,” Johnson said in the release.
The Alachua County Legislative Delegation will meet on Thursday. Johnson originally intended for the draft bill to be shared and discussed at that meeting. He sent the draft bill to the delegation members on Monday.
Now, the press release said Johnson will ask the delegation to table the bill on Thursday.
Sure. I mean, those 70% of Gainesville residents’ votes can’t be allowed to stand, can they.
The voters of Alachua County rejected this guy, so the representative from Levy and Gilchrist County is dictating to Gainesville citizens how their property will be run because he is in intent on removing their control of an entity their fore fathers created and which still belongs to them. Takes a lot of nerve and the backing of the hostile (to blue Gainesville and Alachua County) state GOP.
Rep. Chad Johnson has done the right thing to table his proposed bill. He doesn’t live in the GRU service area. He is new to the conversation. Walking in and proposing legislation on a municipal utility is not good practice. Alachua County voters voted by 73% that governance of GRU should revert to our LOCAL officials. We await a judge’s ruling in January or February on the matter.
The Legislative Delegation meeting is today, 1/9 at 1pm, a the SF College Joseph Fordyce Building, R-01. We want to pack the house and let legislators know that the Alachua County public is engaged, informed and is watching their decisions.
Thanks to our local journalists for covering this story! Three newspapers and our local TV broadcast information about the tabling of the bill! We are incredibly fortunate to have local news sources!
Your Bully Pulpit has been exposed and the GRU customers that have been damaged by the GCC and your regime finally have representation . Now Electric bills are lower. How could anyone deny the the GCC did everything they could to ruin GRU’s financial positions? Not necessarily on purpose (except for that pesky $68 million that you owe). But thru an illiterate political agenda. You got caught . That’s why your were fired and you arguments are shallow, invalid , with prejudice. Justice has prevailed and GRU is on the right path.
Why is Chad Johnson inserting himself in this Gainesville Regional Utility issue. His state rep district does not include the city of Gainesville.
Chad, Our Man in the White Hat, gives new meaning to “getting the cart before the horse.” Input that, Chad.