For the second time this year, the Alachua City Commission voted to call off an investigation into the resignations of three of its former city planners.  

A 2-2 vote during a regular commission meeting on Monday killed the motion to initiate the investigation after City Attorney Marian Rush presented two attorney candidates to conduct it. 

Commissioner Jacob Fletcher moved to hire attorney Clifford Shepard to conduct the investigation and to authorize Mayor Walter Welch to sign the proposal letter on behalf of the city.  

Welch passed the gavel to second the motion, which failed after Commissioners Jennifer Ringersen and Dayna Williams voted in dissent. Vice Mayor Shirley Green Brown cited medical reasons for her absence from Monday’s dais.  

“We promised the citizens we would do this and now we’re looking like we’re liars up here,” Welch said to Ringersen and Williams. “And then we’re short a commissioner. It makes me think this was set up.” 

Immediately following Adam Hall, Justin Tabor and Kathy Winburn’s resignations in February, the commission unanimously voted for Williams’ motion to direct Rush to research attorney candidates who could conduct an investigation into the resignations. 

Two weeks later, a motion to hire one of Rush’s recommendations failed with a 3-2 vote due to disagreement over the candidates. Green Brown voted in favor of the investigation. 

The idea of an investigation didn’t resurface again until the May 19 commission meeting at the request of a citizen. The City Commission voted 4-1, with Williams in dissent, to re-direct Rush to find new attorney candidates. 

On Monday, Rush presented two candidates that would cost the city between $25,000 and $35,000 to hire; less than the candidates she presented in February.  

Rush said both attorneys wanted to speak in person to a list of people involved in the case, including the three former planners, former City Manager Mike DaRoza and Interim City Manager Rodolfo Valladares.  

Ringersen said she didn’t feel like there was a cloud of mistrust to clear around the city as Fletcher suggested, and said she felt torn because the city already had answers that two of the planners had found other jobs and another had retired. 

Williams said that after recent budget workshops and with more on the horizon, she didn’t want to approve money for a “glorified exit interview” when it could be used for other projects, such as Pinkoson Springs. 

“We have an interim city manager who is taking the bull by the horns and really trying to move us forward,” she said. “We’re supposed to be good stewards of our taxpayers’ money, and I’m struggling to come up with how this is being a good steward of our money.” 

Fletcher, who, along with Welch, campaigned for their seats on the commission to pursue the truth of the resignations, said the price of the investigation would be the price the city placed on earning the trust of its citizens.  

He said the commission knew the cost it was signing up to incur when it first moved to investigate and that the city won’t be able to move forward unless it finds and faces the facts of the past.  

“We have to select a city manager and there’s great candidates out in the city, and I’m starting to feel there’s a good candidate in the city,” Fletcher said, referring to Valladares, who is mentioned in the planners’ resignation letter. “However, if we cannot establish the facts, there’s a concern on my side on going in that direction.” 

The commission also unanimously voted Monday to adopt a 6.2500 proposed millage rate for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The rate is 8.9% more than the 5.7413 rolled-back rate and would generate an estimated $1.1 million.  

The first public hearing to finalize the millage will be Sept. 8.