Government and politics

Gainesville Regional Utilities is set to present their increased budget proposal to the City Commission Wednesday. Despite a decrease in electric and gas units, prices on maintaining water and wastewater rose, increasing the average bill a consumer could expect to pay by $2. Though this increase is minimal, it’s still …

While consumer spending stays down and company spending continues to rise, Gainesville Regional Utilities has proposed a new budget that will force consumers to pay a little bit more. But as Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Marc Whiteman reports, this budget increase is a necesscary step for GRU. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/FPGRUWhiteman.mp3]

Alachua County Manager Randall Reid unveiled the county’s tentative $320 million budget for the 2012 fiscal year. WUFT-FM’s Chris Peralta spoke with him about cuts, layoffs and taxes, and why the county needs to keep a balanced budget. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/BudgetWrap.mp3]

The building of a Gainesville biomass combustion power plant have some saying the plants are not safe while others claim the plants are both safe and affordable. As Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM’s Corey Bachman reports, some believe these plants may emit harmful chemicals and pollutants which are linked to a variety …

The August second deadline to raise the debt ceiling is fast approaching…and negotiations continue between the Obama Administration and members of Congress. WUFT-FM’s Chris Peralta spoke with Republican Representative Daniel Webster of Florida’s eighth congressional district about how the negotiations were going, about some of the proposals, and about what …

Congress is currently negotiating ways to decrease the deficit. There is debate between parties in Congress on how to deal with the budget, and Republican Representative Daniel Webster hopes to reach a balanced budget through major cutbacks. “We’d like to see there be some substantial long term cuts to the …

In a 3-2 vote, the Alachua County Commission has designated a site near the intersection of Tower and Newberry Roads as a temporary home for returning veterans. As WUFT-FM’s Brittany Wienke reports, the move has generated concern from business owners and residents. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/Temp Vet Home Wrap.mp3]

Governor Rick Scott has lowered property taxes in the state of Florida, but as WUFT -FM’s Chantal Lamberth reports, the cut has led to some reductions for the state’s water management districts. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/TaxCutWrap.mp3]

Citrus County commisioners voted to change a rule that’s been in place for quite a while. Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM’s Samantha taub has more on what decision was made during the county’s last meeting. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/alcoholbanWRAP.mp3]

Florida Governor Rick Scott says he signed Senate Bill 2100 to keeping his promise to make sure Florida is no longer the only state in America that does not require government employees to contribute to their pensions. Scott says the pension reform legislation will save taxpayers and participating employers $2 …