The Gainesville City Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to turn the Utility Advisory Board, purposeless following the creation of the Gainesville Regional Utility Authority, into a sustainability board instead.
The Utility Advisory Board (UAB) reports to the City Commission and advises the City Commission on all utility related issues. Since the Florida Legislature has given control of Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) to the new authority, the City Commission doesn’t need the board to advise it.
But, Mayor Harvey Ward said the members still possess valuable knowledge that could be shifted to advise the city of sustainability. The city passed a Net Zero by 2045 goal and created a chief climate officer position earlier this year.
“I think that there’s valuable work to be done, and in the absence of a Utility Advisory Board, it would assist me, and I hope the rest of you, in keeping us focused on sustainability goals to have that board,” Ward said.
The motion directed the city manager to work on the board model with Dan Zhu, chief climate officer. City Manager Cynthia Curry will bring the structure back to the City Commission in January for approval, and then the city attorney can draft an ordinance to create the new board.
Barry Jacobson, chair of the UAB, said the members expected to go their separate ways, holding a final meeting in October. However, with the mayor’s proposal of a sustainability board, he said the members are excited to get started.
“It’s a pretty natural extension of what we were doing,” Jacobson said. “It’s just a little different not working with GRU directly.”
Working with GRU in the past, Jacobson said the board has tackled sustainability before, but looking only at the general government side, he said it’ll be more limited now. He said the board could still look at plenty of areas to help the city reach its goals, including an electric vehicle fleet, rooftop solar and energy efficiency in homes.
The city currently has 28 citizens advisory boards, including the Tree Advisory Board, Public Recreation and Parks Board, Gainesville Cultural Affairs Board and the City Beautification Board.
Find a full list at the city of Gainesville website.
Another complete waste of time and effort for a powerless board, and unattainable goal (net zero) that will result in costing residents plenty. G’ville won’t solve a crisis that doesn’t exist but will spend many $ and hours preparing for meetings, fielding useless ideas, and paying a climate manager while at the same time burning 50-75 tractor trailer loads of trees each day, releasing in a few minutes, carbon that would be released slowly over the next 100 years. Not to mention the loss of thousands of carbon breathing trees that release oxygen every day when they are cut down. Renewable! LOL, A farce! Proof: Nobody anywhere is building biomass plants!! And nobody anywhere but G-vile brags about using one!
Jeff – There are more and better photosynthetic “machines” we could be growing than just trees for waste wood.
BTU content/lb or ton is the measure. Wood chips yield around 5,000 per pound and UF-1 Napier grass around 8,000 BTU/ lb.
Hasn’t this group done enough damage to Gru customers and taxpayers?
Just what this City needs. Another unless advisory board wasting more time and resources.
Isn’t is de reguer that these boards reinvent themselves once they are no longer needed? I also can’t wait to see what the “Net Zero” looks like. Residents of Gainesville vote at a rate of 20%(ish) so they deserve this type of government. Wake up people.
What?
Our local government is a complete failure
Biomass rules.