GRU customers will not see rate increases in the next fiscal year

Press release from Gainesville Regional Utilities

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a GRU Authority meeting on Wednesday, June 26, the Authority approved a budget with no rate increases for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2024.

This marks a significant turnaround from an earlier proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget that requested base rate increases for electric, gas, water, and wastewater.

“We have got to be a utility our customers can afford,” said CEO Ed Bielarski. “Our employees are committed to that goal, and we have the support of the Authority. Next year’s budget is a great first step in that direction.”

In addition to eliminating base rate increases in the upcoming year, the Fiscal Year 2025 budget addresses a number of other issues, including:

  • The budget reduces GRU’s annual transfer to the city’s general fund by $6.8 million a year until the utility recoups $68 million it overpaid between 2018 and 2021. This reduces the payment to $8.5 million per year for the next 10 years;
  • At the request of the GRU Authority, GRU cut $20 million in capital expenditures from its original budget proposal;
  • At the request of the GRU Authority, GRU cut $12 million in operations and maintenance expenses from its original budget proposal;
  • As part of its organizational evaluation, GRU has unfunded 27 positions, saving approximately $3 million;
  • Overall, the budget reduces future upward base rate pressure on utility customers. 
  • You are doing what needs to be done, Ed. Maybe it will have a an effect on the city counsel to follow suit.

  • The Authority was pushed against the 7/1/24 deadline by the chaos and confusion CAUSED by the private nuisance suits. There is plenty of time to revise this initial budget to account for present and future SLA losses, among other matters. I have no sense that this is the final budget and we are now working on FY26. There has been no rate relief, which is a stated goal, and no consideration of revising outdated and regressive GRU billing policies.

  • “…A Utility our Customers can afford”. That should be the new mission statement for GRU marketing.

  • 🤯=Harvey’s skull. Thanks Mr. Bielarski.
    Long time coming.

  • Thank you, Mr. Bielarski, for at least holding the cost, us retired folks out here would appreciate you looking for away to reduce our rates, again thank you.

  • This success for GRU and it’s Customers ( City and County) might just send Jazzman off the deep end, along with his beloved Gainesville City Commissioner Comrades. When the Commissioners and Mayor loose, everyone else wins.

  • I understand the cut to the general fund and why it has to be done. Unfortunately it’s going to come at a cost to the citizens with cuts to the Fire Department with trucks being taken off the road and cuts to essential positions. Also other departments throughout the city is being impacted as well. But hey on the bright side no utility increases which is a plus

    • There are no cuts planned to fire trucks on the road or “essential positions” at this time, even given the cut to the transfer. Spreading false information doesn’t help anything.

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