GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) — Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward and Gainesville Regional Utilities CEO Ed Bielarski faced off at a town hall to answer residents’ questions regarding who should have control of the utility, the city or the governor-appointed board.

The referendum would remove the utility from a governor-appointed GRU Authority Board and return oversight to the city commission. Only city residents can vote, which means utility customers outside city limits have no say on the issue. This is because the city is trying to amend its charter.

The authority filed a lawsuit to stop the city charter from being amended after last year’s vote, and a judge ruled the language on the ballot was unclear, nullifying the vote.

City leaders rewrote the proposal and put the referendum on the bal

See Full Page