Dear Mayor Ward and City Commissioners,

I am writing to you on my own behalf as a long-time GRU employee and Gainesville resident and not in my official capacity at GRU. Many of my coworkers and I are very concerned about the proposed charter amendment that would eliminate the GRU general manager as a charter officer and place that responsibility under the city manager. I ask that you consider directing the city attorney to modify the proposed charter amendment to retain the GRU general manager position as a charter officer reporting to the city commission.

GRU is blessed with a highly dedicated staff who continue to take pride in serving our community despite the ongoing political upheaval. However, GRU is a complex business that faces many challenges that we must navigate. Some of the many challenges we face include:

·       unprecedented regulatory pressures in the water and wastewater sector

·       replacement of aging infrastructure

·       planning and implementing energy resources to meet future electric demands and comply with strict regulatory reliability requirements

·       retention and recruitment of high-skill workers

·       long-term debt reduction

·       rate pressures

GRU needs stable, qualified leadership with the technical understanding to run a multi-service (electric, gas, water, wastewater, internet) utility. To be effective, the utility general manager must be able to work directly with the utility’s governing body as opposed to the utility department becoming one of the many departments the city manager position oversees. I feel that a city manager does not have the background and experience, nor the bandwidth, to run a full-service utility like GRU on top of all of the other city manager duties.  

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Rick Hutton, P.E.

Cell: (352) 514-2778