This week in the Gainesville City Commission, the commission moved along the process to get city police funding for a police dog and other necessities, and the city power supplier kept a close eye on UF’s power contract, which is set to expire in less than two years.
Police Funding:
The Gainesville City Commission approved a request Thursday for Gainesville Police to receive funding from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.
The department is requesting $12,000 from the foundation to buy a $9,500 police dog for its K-9 unit.
The department plans to use the leftover funds to buy three automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, for their patrol cars. The devices are used to restart someone’s heart at the scene of an emergency.
About half of the funding for the foundation is provided through “rounding up,” where restaurant patrons are given the option to round up their purchases to the next dollar.
“Five or 10 cents over 500 restaurants adds up to over a million dollars every year,” said Robin Peters, executive director of the foundation. “Small change equals big change.”
The other half of the funds come partly from traditional fundraisers such as golf and tennis tournaments.
“The restaurants in Gainesville consistently place in the top 10 percent of our top donors,” Peters said. “We like to put that money back into the community.”
Power contract:
With UF’s contract with Progress Energy up for renewal in less than two years, the university has begun preliminary discussions about the available options for the energy contract. UF could renew the contract with Progress Energy or instate a new contract with city-run Gainesville Regional Utilities.
In order for GRU to take an active role in securing the contract, UF must request proposals from the energy company — a step the university has not yet taken.
GRU already provides natural gas for campus labs, according to UF’s website.
GRU representative John Stanton was unavailable for comment on the issue, and other GRU staff declined to comment pending a UF response.
For the extended versions of these articles and more coverage of Gainesville City Commission, visit The Town Crier at alligator.org/blogs/news/thetowncrier.
