The Gainesville City Commission is calling for “full transparency” from the GRU Authority after discovering the utility charged the city more than $700,000 in legal fees the past two fiscal years.
In a letter to GRUA board Chair Eric Lawson, Mayor Harvey Ward questioned why Gainesville taxpayers are footing the bill for legal expenses and whether those costs relate to defending HB-1645, the state law that created the governor-appointed board.
During the Nov. 20 city commission meeting, Ward said the city manager’s office received a financial report that showed GRU failed to pay its full general services transfer contribution for fiscal year 2025. The utility had agreed to transfer $8.5 million to support municipal services but delivered only $7.1 million…