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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Grand Junction City Council Workshop Summary – November 3, 2025

City Council — Monday, November 3, 2025

BodyGrand Junction, Colorado

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, November 3, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:04

So we

Speaker 2

0:05

should have

Speaker 3

0:10

some share.

Speaker 1

0:16

Okay, that's previously.

Unassigned speaker

0:24

Yes, she's gonna she's gonna virtual trying to pay.

Speaker 2

0:30

So okay, it is 5 30.

0:33

Actually, 5 31 now.

0:35

And uh we will be calling the Grand Junction City Council workshop to the session.

0:42

It is uh Monday, November.

0:47

And we will uh we have three main items on our um discussion topics for this evening.

0:54

We will go ahead and jump right into our first one.

0:56

Like if you want to introduce uh the CC.

1:01

Oh, and uh just for just for the uh for the record, um council member style is virtual this

Unassigned speaker

1:08

evening.

Speaker 4

1:10

Yeah, thank you, Mayor, members of council.

1:13

Uh tonight our first our first item is a request from the counseling education center, and and uh you've received this, and we've had some discussions during our budget discussions uh related to this.

1:24

This is a project the city has partnered with them on, and we're excited to see come to fruition.

1:29

And so uh the executive director, Allie Nuremberg is here, and she's gonna if you want to come up to the table right here with the microphone and any of your staff

Unassigned speaker

1:40

that you need as well.

Unassigned speaker

1:41

But uh we'll just turn the time over to you and make a uh some

Speaker 4

1:45

requests and then as any questions that the council has on your presentation.

Speaker 5

1:52

Great.

1:53

Thank you for the opportunity to be here to present this request as well as just provide an update on this project.

1:59

This is a project that the city has been involved with for several years, and so we are happy to have the opportunity to just share uh where we're at with this.

2:07

Um I have Joe Bartford, if I could pronounce that right, okay.

2:11

Um, from Limberg here, who has uh also done some work with us on this project just in case there's any more technical questions than what I can answer.

2:20

Um let's see who has a clicker if I want to can we move this on the slide or okay.

Unassigned speaker

2:31

Speaker 5

2:32

so just a quick refresh.

2:33

Uh the council has changed since we originally presented this uh in 2023.

2:40

I think we actually technically started in December of 2022 with American Rescue Plan Act funding request.

2:47

Um we were officially awarded $996,000.

2:51

Well, $996,000 in ARPA funds in the summer of 2023 to expand our services.

2:59

Um we with that funding purchase this house that you can see on the screen in Orchard Mesa.

Unassigned speaker

3:04

Speaker 5

3:04

this essentially doubles our capacity, moving us from three to 400 clients total a year to an additional three or four hundred clients to serving once this is up and operational between our two locations, seven to eight hundred predominantly low-income counseling clients uh annually, and that's all ages, individual family and couples counseling.

3:25

Uh there are no services in Orchard Mesa.

3:28

Well, we have a temporary location now, but other than that, there's no kind of verifiable counseling or mental health services up in that neighborhood that stretches into Whitewater and Velta, so we have an expanded reach as well.

Speaker 2

3:40

Yes, please.

3:41

Would you give a brief introduction of the work that CEC does as you said with new council?

3:46

And just for the sake of anybody that might watch this later, just so we

Unassigned speaker

3:49

can

Speaker 2

3:50

know the scope of the work that you're doing.

Speaker 5

3:52

Yes, thank you.

3:53

Um Counseling Education Center, we were founded in 1981 by two Catholic sisters or Catholic nuns who uh live their mission in the world by obtaining their master's degrees and becoming licensed therapists.

4:04

We've always been uh a non-faith-based organization that serves literally anybody who walks outdoors.

4:10

Uh, our goal is to provide the high quality professional counseling services uh on a weekly basis, no session caps, the type of counseling that you or I would want for ourselves and our families to hit anyone regardless of income or insurance.

4:22

We've been operating for almost 45 years.

4:24

We've served um more than 15,000 individuals in this community.

4:29

If you

Unassigned speaker

4:30

kind

Speaker 5

4:30

of ripple that out, that's 150,000 counseling sessions.

4:34

Uh so we've been here for a long time.

4:36

We provide that service.

4:37

Um that's our main core work.

4:39

We also do an intern and candidate training program.

4:42

Right now we have um roughly eight to ten clinical interns that are in our master's programs a year that are under our supervision.

4:49

We also have seven uh pre or postgraduate pre-licensure candidates that are receiving their training with us.

4:56

So we're helping address workforce issues.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

Um if you run the community health needs assessment, you know that we um Mesa County is in uh well, the whole state is a health care provider shortage area, and Mesa County has one of the more severe shortages in the state.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Parks and Recreation████████████████████████24%

Economic Development████████████████16%

Downtown Development█████████████13%

Mental Health Awareness████████████12%

Fee Schedule███████████11%

Community Development Block Grant███████7%

Affordable Housing████4%

Procedural███3%

Community Engagement███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Grand Junction City Council Workshop Summary – November 3, 2025

The Grand Junction City Council held a workshop on Monday, November 3, 2025, convening at 5:30 p.m. in the Fire Department Training Room, 625 Ute Avenue, and live-streamed via GoTo Webinar. The workshop covered three discussion topics: a Counseling & Education Center funding request, a Dos Rios development update, and the parks impact fee. Councilmembers Robert Ballard, Scott Beilfuss, Laurel Lutz, Jason Nguyen, Ben Van Dyke, and Mayor Cody Kennedy were present; minutes list Councilmember Anna Stout as absent, although the transcript's opening references a virtual councilmember. Staff included City Manager Mike Bennett, City Attorney John Shaver, Deputy City Manager Kimberly Bullen, CFO Jay Valentine, Community Development Director Tamra Allen, Parks and Recreation Director Ken Sherbenou, Deputy City Clerk Misty Williams, and City Clerk Selestina Sandoval. No formal votes were taken; council gave staff direction. The workshop adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

Counseling & Education Center 2025 Funding Request

Hali Nurnberg, Executive Director of the Counseling & Education Center (CEC), presented the request and answered questions.
CEC was awarded approximately $996,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the City in 2023; the City has invested $996,000 in the project. CEC also received state ARPA funding through the Behavioral Health Administration, bringing combined ARPA awards to just under $2 million.
The new Orchard Mesa site is intended to serve an additional 300–400 low-income clients annually, expanding CEC's total capacity to 700–800 clients across two locations. A temporary Orchard Mesa location already serves 120 clients.
Construction costs increased by about $1 million due to change-of-use requirements and infrastructure upgrades (e.g., parking, drainage, ADA compliance), raising the renovation budget from the original $495,000 estimate. CEC has raised 50% of the $1 million gap, leaving about $500,000 to raise.
CEC reported it has increased private donation revenue by 340% since 2022 and operates internship and workforce development programs. It recently received $450,000 from the Regional Employment Council.
CEC requested that the City refund or cover the $20,985.84 Transportation Capacity Payment (Impact Fee) and related engineering inspection fees. Staff noted the fees were disclosed in November 2024 during development review.
Councilmembers expressed strong support for the request, citing the need for mental health services in Orchard Mesa, the historic building's reuse, and alignment with the City's strategic plan.
Staff were directed to prepare a supplemental appropriation ordinance before year-end to potentially refund the fees from the City's reserve fund.

Dos Rios Update from Developer May Riegler

Kevin Reigler, representing developer May Riegler, presented a request to extend the closing date for the remaining Part II land at Dos Rios. The agenda spells the developer as 'May Reigler'; the minutes use 'May Riegler.'
Under the purchase and sale agreement authorized by Ordinance 4992 and amended by Resolution 81-24, the developer is currently contracted to close on the remaining Part II land (Lot 1 and Lot 5, Riverfront at Dos Rios Filing Three) by December 1, 2025. The proposed Eleventh Amendment would extend closing to on or before December 31, 2026.
The developer already owns about 82% of the Dos Rios development land and has invested approximately $7 million in the site, not including the Starbucks, townhouses, or city infrastructure.
Reigler attributed the delay to macroeconomic conditions, including high interest rates and construction inflation, and said 2026 may be a better year to restart major vertical development.
Councilmembers asked about alternatives, carrying costs, and financial exposure. City Attorney John Shaver noted that refusing an extension could put the city in a breach situation and that re-marketing the property would be complicated by the existing development plan and infrastructure.
CFO Jay Valentine outlined General Improvement District (GID) debt: the 2025 annual debt payment was $705,000; 2026 payments could be $936,650; and 2027 payments jump to $1,033,000. The current mill levy is 7 mills, with a 50-mill maximum required by the bond documents.
Council consensus favored a one-year extension, citing the developer's investment and better position to advance the project. Staff will bring a formal resolution to the November 19 council meeting.

Parks Impact Fee Discussion

City staff reviewed the recently updated impact fee study. The City contracted with TischlerBise to update the study required by code; the last study was completed in 2019. A new fee schedule and municipal code changes were adopted on April 2, 2025, after stakeholder group meetings, multiple council and planning commission workshops, and community meetings.
A TischlerBise consultant explained the parks and recreation fee methodology, which uses a consumption-based approach with three components: park land, open space, and park improvements. It is designed to maintain the citywide level of service, not to fund specific new parks.
The Housing and Building Association (HBA) of Western Colorado requested that the City reconsider the adopted parks fee, including its calculation, collection, and tracking. An HBA representative argued that the $147,513 per-acre average land cost is skewed by outliers; builders' experience on the outskirts is around $42,000 per acre. The representative also said the proposed fee could raise about $20 million over 10 years, while the HBA's suggested approach would raise about $6.5 million, and noted the City spent about $2 million on parkland acquisition in the last 10 years.
Councilmembers discussed alternative methodologies, including removing outliers, using medians, and aligning fees with future park planning areas identified in the PROS plan. Parks and Recreation Director Ken Sherbenou noted the PROS plan identifies priority future parks, including Horizon Park, and that the east side of Grand Junction has a lower level of service.
City Attorney John Shaver cautioned that impact fees must be tied to a legally defensible nexus study and that location-specific future need may not be the correct basis for a citywide fee.
Council directed staff and TischlerBise to explore alternative methodologies and bring options back for review. The code now calls for fee study updates at least every eight years moving forward.

Council Communication

Council discussed having partner organizations attend a future workshop to discuss a plan for the houseless community.
City Manager Mike Bennett provided an update on Homeward Bound, noting it may not submit a 2026 funding request and that the North Avenue shelter is expected to operate through January 5, 2026, based on fundraising. He also suggested a possible future joint meeting with Mesa County on the houseless strategy.

Next Workshop Topics

Upcoming workshop topics include a Townhall Debrief, Judicial Review Committee, 29 Road Interchange, and Museums of Western Colorado.
City Attorney John Shaver discussed the Judicial Review Commission, noting two citizen-at-large seats need to be filled; they have historically been councilmembers. He will send more information to council, and the matter may be agendized for a future workshop.
Council discussed the 29 Road Interchange next steps before proceeding with a request for proposals for final design.

Other Business

Council received proclamation requests for Hospice and Palliative Care Month (November 2025) and Interfaith Awareness Week (November 19–25). Council requested that both proclamations be scheduled for reading at future council meetings.

Key Outcomes

CEC funding request: Council directed staff to prepare a supplemental appropriation ordinance before year-end to potentially refund the Transportation Capacity Payment and engineering inspection fees from the City's reserve fund.
Dos Rios: Council consensus supported a one-year extension for the remaining Part II land purchase; staff will bring a formal resolution to the November 19 council meeting.
Parks impact fee: Council directed staff and TischlerBise to explore alternative methodologies, including removing outliers, using medians, and examining future park planning areas, and to bring options back for review.
Proclamations: Both requested proclamations were scheduled for reading at future council meetings.

Meeting Transcript

So we should have some share. Okay, that's previously. Yes, she's gonna she's gonna virtual trying to pay. So okay, it is 5 30. Actually, 5 31 now. And uh we will be calling the Grand Junction City Council workshop to the session. It is uh Monday, November. And we will uh we have three main items on our um discussion topics for this evening. We will go ahead and jump right into our first one. Like if you want to introduce uh the CC. Oh, and uh just for just for the uh for the record, um council member style is virtual this evening. Yeah, thank you, Mayor, members of council. Uh tonight our first our first item is a request from the counseling education center, and and uh you've received this, and we've had some discussions during our budget discussions uh related to this. This is a project the city has partnered with them on, and we're excited to see come to fruition. And so uh the executive director, Allie Nuremberg is here, and she's gonna if you want to come up to the table right here with the microphone and any of your staff that you need as well. But uh we'll just turn the time over to you and make a uh some requests and then as any questions that the council has on your presentation. Great. Thank you for the opportunity to be here to present this request as well as just provide an update on this project. This is a project that the city has been involved with for several years, and so we are happy to have the opportunity to just share uh where we're at with this. Um I have Joe Bartford, if I could pronounce that right, okay. Um, from Limberg here, who has uh also done some work with us on this project just in case there's any more technical questions than what I can answer. Um let's see who has a clicker if I want to can we move this on the slide or okay. Um so just a quick refresh. Uh the council has changed since we originally presented this uh in 2023. I think we actually technically started in December of 2022 with American Rescue Plan Act funding request. Um we were officially awarded $996,000. Well, $996,000 in ARPA funds in the summer of 2023 to expand our services. Um we with that funding purchase this house that you can see on the screen in Orchard Mesa. Uh this essentially doubles our capacity, moving us from three to 400 clients total a year to an additional three or four hundred clients to serving once this is up and operational between our two locations, seven to eight hundred predominantly low-income counseling clients uh annually, and that's all ages, individual family and couples counseling. Uh there are no services in Orchard Mesa. Well, we have a temporary location now, but other than that, there's no kind of verifiable counseling or mental health services up in that neighborhood that stretches into Whitewater and Velta, so we have an expanded reach as well. Yes, please. Would you give a brief introduction of the work that CEC does as you said with new council? And just for the sake of anybody that might watch this later, just so we can know the scope of the work that you're doing. Yes, thank you. Um Counseling Education Center, we were founded in 1981 by two Catholic sisters or Catholic nuns who uh live their mission in the world by obtaining their master's degrees and becoming licensed therapists. We've always been uh a non-faith-based organization that serves literally anybody who walks outdoors. Uh, our goal is to provide the high quality professional counseling services uh on a weekly basis, no session caps, the type of counseling that you or I would want for ourselves and our families to hit anyone regardless of income or insurance. We've been operating for almost 45 years. We've served um more than 15,000 individuals in this community. If you

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Grand Junction City Council Workshop Summary – November 3, 2025

Counseling & Education Center 2025 Funding Request

Hali Nurnberg, Executive Director of the Counseling & Education Center (CEC), presented the request and answered questions.

CEC was awarded approximately $996,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the City in 2023; the City has invested $996,000 in the project. CEC also received state ARPA funding through the Behavioral Health Administration, bringing combined ARPA awards to just under $2 million.

The new Orchard Mesa site is intended to serve an additional 300–400 low-income clients annually, expanding CEC's total capacity to 700–800 clients across two locations. A temporary Orchard Mesa location already serves 120 clients.

Construction costs increased by about $1 million due to change-of-use requirements and infrastructure upgrades (e.g., parking, drainage, ADA compliance), raising the renovation budget from the original $495,000 estimate. CEC has raised 50% of the $1 million gap, leaving about $500,000 to raise.

CEC reported it has increased private donation revenue by 340% since 2022 and operates internship and workforce development programs. It recently received $450,000 from the Regional Employment Council.

CEC requested that the City refund or cover the $20,985.84 Transportation Capacity Payment (Impact Fee) and related engineering inspection fees. Staff noted the fees were disclosed in November 2024 during development review.

Councilmembers expressed strong support for the request, citing the need for mental health services in Orchard Mesa, the historic building's reuse, and alignment with the City's strategic plan.

Staff were directed to prepare a supplemental appropriation ordinance before year-end to potentially refund the fees from the City's reserve fund.

Dos Rios Update from Developer May Riegler

Kevin Reigler, representing developer May Riegler, presented a request to extend the closing date for the remaining Part II land at Dos Rios. The agenda spells the developer as 'May Reigler'; the minutes use 'May Riegler.'

Under the purchase and sale agreement authorized by Ordinance 4992 and amended by Resolution 81-24, the developer is currently contracted to close on the remaining Part II land (Lot 1 and Lot 5, Riverfront at Dos Rios Filing Three) by December 1, 2025. The proposed Eleventh Amendment would extend closing to on or before December 31, 2026.

The developer already owns about 82% of the Dos Rios development land and has invested approximately $7 million in the site, not including the Starbucks, townhouses, or city infrastructure.

Reigler attributed the delay to macroeconomic conditions, including high interest rates and construction inflation, and said 2026 may be a better year to restart major vertical development.

Councilmembers asked about alternatives, carrying costs, and financial exposure. City Attorney John Shaver noted that refusing an extension could put the city in a breach situation and that re-marketing the property would be complicated by the existing development plan and infrastructure.

CFO Jay Valentine outlined General Improvement District (GID) debt: the 2025 annual debt payment was $705,000; 2026 payments could be $936,650; and 2027 payments jump to $1,033,000. The current mill levy is 7 mills, with a 50-mill maximum required by the bond documents.

Council consensus favored a one-year extension, citing the developer's investment and better position to advance the project. Staff will bring a formal resolution to the November 19 council meeting.

Parks Impact Fee Discussion

City staff reviewed the recently updated impact fee study. The City contracted with TischlerBise to update the study required by code; the last study was completed in 2019. A new fee schedule and municipal code changes were adopted on April 2, 2025, after stakeholder group meetings, multiple council and planning commission workshops, and community meetings.

A TischlerBise consultant explained the parks and recreation fee methodology, which uses a consumption-based approach with three components: park land, open space, and park improvements. It is designed to maintain the citywide level of service, not to fund specific new parks.

The Housing and Building Association (HBA) of Western Colorado requested that the City reconsider the adopted parks fee, including its calculation, collection, and tracking. An HBA representative argued that the $147,513 per-acre average land cost is skewed by outliers; builders' experience on the outskirts is around $42,000 per acre. The representative also said the proposed fee could raise about $20 million over 10 years, while the HBA's suggested approach would raise about $6.5 million, and noted the City spent about $2 million on parkland acquisition in the last 10 years.

Councilmembers discussed alternative methodologies, including removing outliers, using medians, and aligning fees with future park planning areas identified in the PROS plan. Parks and Recreation Director Ken Sherbenou noted the PROS plan identifies priority future parks, including Horizon Park, and that the east side of Grand Junction has a lower level of service.

City Attorney John Shaver cautioned that impact fees must be tied to a legally defensible nexus study and that location-specific future need may not be the correct basis for a citywide fee.

Council directed staff and TischlerBise to explore alternative methodologies and bring options back for review. The code now calls for fee study updates at least every eight years moving forward.

Council Communication

Council discussed having partner organizations attend a future workshop to discuss a plan for the houseless community.

City Manager Mike Bennett provided an update on Homeward Bound, noting it may not submit a 2026 funding request and that the North Avenue shelter is expected to operate through January 5, 2026, based on fundraising. He also suggested a possible future joint meeting with Mesa County on the houseless strategy.

Next Workshop Topics

Upcoming workshop topics include a Townhall Debrief, Judicial Review Committee, 29 Road Interchange, and Museums of Western Colorado.

City Attorney John Shaver discussed the Judicial Review Commission, noting two citizen-at-large seats need to be filled; they have historically been councilmembers. He will send more information to council, and the matter may be agendized for a future workshop.

Council discussed the 29 Road Interchange next steps before proceeding with a request for proposals for final design.

Other Business

Council received proclamation requests for Hospice and Palliative Care Month (November 2025) and Interfaith Awareness Week (November 19–25). Council requested that both proclamations be scheduled for reading at future council meetings.

Key Outcomes

CEC funding request: Council directed staff to prepare a supplemental appropriation ordinance before year-end to potentially refund the Transportation Capacity Payment and engineering inspection fees from the City's reserve fund.

Dos Rios: Council consensus supported a one-year extension for the remaining Part II land purchase; staff will bring a formal resolution to the November 19 council meeting.

Parks impact fee: Council directed staff and TischlerBise to explore alternative methodologies, including removing outliers, using medians, and examining future park planning areas, and to bring options back for review.

Proclamations: Both requested proclamations were scheduled for reading at future council meetings.

Meeting Transcript