General Policy Committee

1 General Policy Committee Meeting MINUTES February 12, 2026, 1:00 p.m. City Hall Auditorium 200 East University Avenue Gainesville, FL 32601 Members Present: Commissioner Book, Desmon Duncan- Walker, Commissioner Eastman, Mayor Ward, Mayor Pro-Tempore Willits Members Absent: Commissioner Chestnut, Commissioner Ingle _____________________________________________________________________ A. CALL TO ORDER Meeting called to order at 1:00 p.m. B. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA Moved by Mayor Pro-Tempore Willits Seconded by Commissioner Eastman Motion: The General Policy Committee adopt the agenda. Aye (5): Commissioner Book, Desmon Duncan-Walker, Commissioner Eastman, Mayor Ward, and Mayor Pro-Tempore Willits Absent (2): Commissioner Chestnut, and Commissioner Ingle Approved (5 to 0) C. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES 1. The General Policy Committee Approve the Minutes from the January 22, 2026 Meeting (B) Moved by Mayor Pro-Tempore Willits Seconded by Commissioner Eastman 2 Recommendation: The General Policy Committee approve the minutes from the January 22, 2026 Meeting. Motion: Approve as recommended. Aye (5): Commissioner Book, Desmon Duncan-Walker, Commissioner Eastman, Mayor Ward, and Mayor Pro-Tempore Willits Absent (2): Commissioner Chestnut, and Commissioner Ingle Approved (5 to 0) D. BUSINESS DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. 2026-60 City of Gainesville & Alachua County Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance Five-Year Strategic Plan (2026-2031) Discussion (B) Andrew Persons, Interim City Manager, introduced the item. Brandace Stone, Director of Community Health Initiatives, gave a presentation on the City of Gainesville & Alachua County Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance Five-Year Strategic Plan (2026-2031); mentioned representatives of the Children's Trust of Alachua County were present. Brittany Coleman, Gun Violence Intervention Program Manager, gave a presentation on the City of Gainesville & Alachua County Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance Five-Year Strategic Plan (2026-2031). Public Comment: Kali Blount Andrew Persons, Interim City Manager, spoke to the item related to a new partnership with the University of Florida Literacy Institute. Moved by Commissioner Book Seconded by Desmon Duncan-Walker Recommendation: The General Policy Committee: 1) hear a presentation from staff on the City of Gainesville & Alachua County Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance Five-Year Strategic Plan; 2) review and discuss the Strategic Plan; 3) authorize staff to continue planning and collaborative efforts toward implementation of the strategies outlined in the Plan; and 4) recommend that the Strategic Plan be discussed at the March 9th Joint City & County Commission Meeting to approve its implementation. 3 Motion: 1) Authorize staff to continue planning and collaborative efforts toward implementation of the strategies outlined in the Plan; and 2) Recommend that the Strategic Plan be discussed at the March 9th Joint City & County Commission Meeting to approve its implementation. Aye (5): Commissioner Book, Desmon Duncan-Walker, Commissioner Eastman, Mayor Ward, and Mayor Pro-Tempore Willits Absent (2): Commissioner Chestnut, and Commissioner Ingle Approved (5 to 0) E. MEMBER COMMENT Commissioner Book: Requested an update NE 9th Street project. Andrew Persons, Interim City Manager, introduced the presentation related to the NE 9th Street comment; mentioned the interlocal agreement with the Alachua County School Board (ACSB); the comprehensive presentation from the recent ACSB meeting is on their website; mentioned his office was discussing preparations for providing property task proposal analysis. Brian Singleton, Acting Chief Operating Officer, gave a presentation on the NE 9th Street resurfacing and modifying layout project update. The presentation has been added to the minutes. Mayor Pro Tem Willits: Gave a recap of the recent Alachua County Public School Elected Officials Meeting: Comprehensive School Draft Strategy Plan Alternatives. Mayor Ward: Mentioned he would like to invite the ACSB to present to the commission, perhaps at the joint meeting in March; and also promoted the upcoming State of the City on February 18. Commissioner Duncan-Walker: Spoke to the comments related to the ACSB; mentioned her community meeting on the comprehensive plan and thanked staff for their efforts and to Gainesville Neighborhood Voices, would like Communications involved more visibly. 4 Commissioner Book: Appreciated Commissioner Willits' summary of the meeting. Commissioner Eastman: Gave comments related to the ACSB meeting and echoed the request to invite them to present the proposals that were shared; mentioned that the Alachua County Commission received an analysis of the property tax proposals moving through the state legislature. Jennifer Smart, Director of Communications, spoke to the process Communications goes through to tell the story of different community engagement events. F. NEXT MEETING DATE - February 26, 2026 G. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 3:21 p.m. _________________________ Kristen J. Bryant, JD, CMC City Clerk