Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority

Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority MINUTES June 10, 2026, 5:30 p.m. GRU Administration Building 301 SE 4th Avenue Gainesville, FL 32601 Members Present: Vice-Chair Haslam, Jack Jacobs, Chair Lawson, Robert Skinner _____________________________________________________________________ A. CALL TO ORDER Meeting called to order at 5:30pm. B. ROLL CALL C. INVOCATION Given by Vice Chair Haslam D. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE E. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA Moved by Vice-Chair Haslam Seconded by Robert Skinner Approved F. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Vice-Chair Haslam Seconded by Jack Jacobs Approved 1. Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority approve the Minutes from the May 13, 2026 meeting (B) 1  Recommendation: The GRU Authority approve the minutes from the May 13, 2026 meeting. G. CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Lawson noted that Director Skinner had requested that the Board revisit an item under Old Business. Chair Lawson explained that one matter not previously voted on was the issue of Stormwater and Solid Waste billing. He stated that he had received multiple calls from business owners expressing concerns and felt it appropriate to give the GRU Authority Board another opportunity to consider removing Stormwater and Solid Waste charges from GRU billing. Director Skinner added that several landlords and citizens had contacted him as well, and in fairness to them, he had hoped the Board could continue the discussion. He proposed extending the current arrangement for one year to allow all parties time to prepare. Vice Chair Haslam stated that he had conducted additional research on the billing of these items and shared his findings. He acknowledged that he, too, had heard from customers but noted that his position on the matter had not changed. Director Jacobs stated that the Board had discussed this topic for some time and that raising new concerns at the last minute was not reasonable. He reiterated his belief that these charges should never have been included on the GRU bill, as they are not services provided by GRU, and therefore saw no reason to revisit the prior decision. H. DIRECTOR COMMENTS No Director comments at this time. I. CONSENT AGENDA Moved by Robert Skinner Seconded by Jack Jacobs Approved 1. 2026-399 State of the Utility, April 2026 (B) Public Comment: Chuck Ross, Armando Grundy-Gomez 2  Chair Lawson and Vice Chair Haslam as well as CEO Bielarski commented on statements made during Public Comment. J. CEO COMMENTS CEO Bielarski provided a presentation highlighting key updates across GRU. He invited Debbie Daugherty, Water/Wastewater Officer, to the podium to share information about the recently awarded Consumptive Use Permit (CUP). She also provided an update on the Main Street Water Reclamation Facility upgrade, noting that Phase 1 is nearing completion. Director Skinner commented on concerns he had received regarding the drought conditions in Alachua County and asked how GRU is managing the situation. Ms. Daugherty explained that there are no current concerns, as GRU has a very secure water supply; however, conservation remains important. Director Skinner also noted that in a previous meeting he had raised the idea of offering discounted installation of secondary meters, such as irrigation meters, at certain times of the year. After further review during his one-on-one meetings, he learned that such a program could negatively affect GRU’s CUP and grant eligibility, making it infeasible. Director Skinner then asked about the LEEP program and how it is progressing, including whether there has been significant interest from applicants. CEO Bielarski stated that a more detailed update will be provided at the next Board meeting. K. ATTORNEY COMMENTS Kiersten Ballou of Folds Walker provided an update on ongoing legal litigation involving GRU. Derek Perry stated that he had no additional comments. L. RESOLUTIONS (Roll Call Required) 1. 2026-401 GRU Amended FY2026 Budget – Resolution amending FY2026 Operating Plan Budget Public Comment: Jim Konish 3  Moved by Jack Jacobs Seconded by Vice-Chair Haslam Recommendation: The GRU Authority adopt the proposed budget amendment resolution. Approved 2. 2026-402 GRU Appendix of Fees, Rates and Charges Public Comment: Jim Konish, Chuck Ross Director Jacobs responded to statements/questions made during Public Comment. Moved by Vice-Chair Haslam Seconded by Robert Skinner Recommendation: The GRU Authority adopt the proposed resolution. Approved 3. 2026-403 Resolution adopting the GRU budget for the Fiscal Year beginning Oct. 1, 2026 and ending Sept. 30, 2027 (B) Moved by Jack Jacobs Seconded by Vice-Chair Haslam Recommendation: The GRU Authority adopt the proposed budget resolution and authorize the chairman of the authority to submit the budget to the City of Gainesville consistent with the requirements of Chapter 2023-348, Laws of Florida. Approved 4. 2026-404 Resolution Updating GRU’s Industrial Pretreatment Regulations to Meet FDEP Requirements Moved by Jack Jacobs Seconded by Robert Skinner Recommendation: Staff recommends that the Authority (i) approve the resolution authorizing the update of its IPP regulations to reflect current FDEP requirements and authorize the Chair to execute the same; (ii) authorize the Chief Executive Officer/General Manager to execute all 4  necessary agreements, certifications, and submittals required by FDEP in connection with the updated IPP regulations; (iii) authorize staff to take all necessary administrative actions to implement each of the foregoing, including publication, public notice, and regulatory filings as required. Approved 5. 2026-405 Adoption of Authority’s Corporate Seal (B) Public Comment: Jim Konish, Kristen Bryant, Chuck Ross Mark Benton clarified the intended use of the seal, noting that it will not be used for bond documents, as was suggested during Public Comment. Derek Perry further explained that the seal is not a City seal but an Authority seal. He pointed out that, as shown in the backup materials, other utilities associated with cities also use their own corporate seals. Director Jacobs agreed with a public comment that the proposed design appeared plain and suggested incorporating an image of the Kelly Plant. Derek stated that an alternative design can be proposed. Moved by Robert Skinner Seconded by Vice-Chair Haslam Recommendation: The GRU Authority adopt the proposed resolution establishing the Authority’s corporate seal. Approved M. BUSINESS DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. 2026-408 Discussion of Ongoing Business Agenda Item Director Skinner agreed that he would like to add an Agenda Item titled “Ongoing Business” and provided clarification on the type of information he envisioned including. CEO Bielarski agreed that adding this item would be beneficial and noted that it would serve as a summary. Chair Lawson stated that the proposal could be discussed further during the one‑ on‑ one meetings. No motion was made, so no public comment was taken. 5  Recommendation: The GRU Authority discuss an Ongoing Business Agenda Item and provide direction to staff. Discussed N. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT Public Comment: Angela Casteel, Jim Konish, Chuck Ross O. DIRECTOR COMMENTS Vice Chair Haslam responded to several of the comments made during Public Comment. Director Jacobs also offered additional remarks regarding statements made during Public Comment. Director Skinner asked CEO Bielarski for an update on the future Customer Portal, specifically regarding features such as leak alerts and similar notifications. CEO Bielarski provided a response. Director Skinner also noted that the full budget is available online for public viewing, which CEO Bielarski confirmed. Skinner then inquired about the spreadsheet previously requested concerning the lifespan of the power plants and plans to extend their operational life. CEO Bielarski explained that staff would need to extract certain data to make the information clearer for public understanding. He added that GRU requires a connection to outside power, especially with the Kelly plant having been offline, and noted that this strategy had already been planned and implemented. He made additional comments responding to earlier public statements. Utilities Attorney Perry noted that Exhibit A for Resolution 2026‑ 402 had not been included in the online packet available to the public. Attorney Scott Walker advised rereading the resolution title so that the Board could conduct a new vote. The title was read again, and the Board unanimously approved the resolution. P. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 7:01pm 6 _________________________ Kunti Nesbitt, GRUA Staff Liaison 7