Gainesville City should consider government reforms

The Gainesville city government needs to change, but getting support for significant reforms would be challenging.

Ideas include reducing the number of charter officers and increasing the salaries and staff of city commissioners. The commission was due to hear a point at a meeting last Thursday about the possible prosecution of a “strong mayor” system but left the matter out of consideration.

No wonder: the commission was the target of criticism following the resignation of four of the six Gainesville charter officers (town clerk Omichele Gainey later withdrew her resignation). A discussion about strengthening the mayor’s powers is unlikely to arrive at the moment.

But these resignations show why the city has to deal with reforms. Special attention should be given to the large number of charter officers in Gainesville compared to other cities. Gainesville has six charter officers – city attorney, city auditor, city clerk, city manager, director of equity and inclusion, and general manager of utilities – reporting directly to the city board.

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In many other cities, the City Manager oversees such positions. While there are reasons for some positions to be independent – such as the auditor – the fact that so many separate offices operate hampers coordination and can lead to conflict.

Reforms would require an amendment to the statutes, which would have to be approved by voters. Voters just passed changes to the charter last fall recommended by a charter review panel held once a decade, so one wonders if voters would be open to additional reform anytime soon.

A strong mayor system would be particularly difficult to sell for good reason. The Mayor of Gainesville currently has a largely ceremonial role. The mayor chairs commission meetings, but otherwise has essentially the same powers as the six Gainesville city commissioners. According to a city report on the subject, about two-thirds of Florida’s cities have similar “weak mayors” government.

In cities with a “strong mayor”, the person can usually hire and fire charter officers and department heads. Proponents of such change in the field would need to show why so much power should be placed in one person’s hands. Gainesville did not begin electing its mayor until 1998 – the Commission previously appointed a mayor from among its number.

Other possible changes affect the Commission’s salary and support staff. The Gainesville city commissioner job pays $ 35,118 annually, while Alachua County’s commissioners more than double (nearly $ 82,000) and their salaries are rising based on a population-linked state formula.

The Charter Review Panel looked at increasing city commissioners’ salaries and relied on the same formula, but withdrew the idea during the uncertainty at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. If Gainesville is looking to recruit the best candidates for the commission, an increase in pay could help.

The commissioners also lack staff, with the exception of the assistants who take care of scheduling. Having staff to carry out research and other duties would help commissioners better serve the public. There are legal questions as to whether the commissioners could make this change themselves or whether it would require an amendment to the statutes.

Some have suggested that Gainesville reinstate an appointed mayor and five instead of seven members on the commission. The pros and cons of all these possible changes should be publicly discussed by the commissioners in order to find the right combination that will both improve the functioning of local government and generate enough support to survive.

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