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.