Darin Cook

The GRU Authority referendum on the November ballot will allow Gainesville residents to vote on whether GRU’s governing authority should be transferred to an independent board appointed by the city commission.

With less than two months to go before the November election, two speakers from the Gainesville community took part in discussing the GRU Authority referendum.

Although lower utility rates have been the reasoning behind the Gainesville city commission's support for the recent GREC purchase, rates are not decreasing as much as residents had hoped. In fact, customers' bills will still increase in the long run.

Watch the live stream of a public forum hosted by WUFT and the Gainesville Sun to discuss the ongoing negotiations between GRU and GREC.

The Gainesville Sun, WUFT and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service will host a public program at 6 p.m. on June 13 in the Pugh Hall Ocora that will examine the ongoing negotiations between Gainesville Regional Utilities and the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center.

A study by an economics professor emeritus at the University of Florida found that commercial businesses in Gainesville pay 52 percent more for energy than the national average.