Grand Junction City Council Regular Meeting - December 17, 2025

The Grand Junction City Council met in regular session on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Auditorium, 250 North 5th Street. All seven councilmembers were present: Robert Ballard, Scott Beilfuss, Laurel Lutz, Jason Nguyen, Anna Stout, Ben Van Dyke, and Council President Cody Kennedy. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence. Staff present included City Manager Mike Bennett, Assistant City Attorney Jeremiah Boies, Chief Financial Officer Jay Valentine, Deputy City Manager Kimberly Bullen, Community Development Zoning Supervisor Jessica Johnsen, Utilities Director Randi Kim, and City Clerk Selestina Sandoval. The meeting adjourned at 6:52 p.m.

Proclamations

• Council President Kennedy read a proclamation designating December 17, 2025, as a Day of Recognition for the Persigo Environmental Laboratory Staff. Utilities Director Randi Kim accepted it on behalf of the team and introduced lab supervisor Steve Lindsley, analyst John Noyes, and chemists Kayla Kerrigan and Liz Ryan Tucker.
• The proclamation cited 192 weeks of wastewater surveillance, including 377 samples for SARS-CoV-2, 439 samples for influenza A and B, 126 samples for RSV, 121 samples for enterovirus D68, 136 samples for Mpox, 49 samples for West Nile virus, and 47 samples for measles. Randi Kim added that the lab also collected and tested over 28,000 additional samples for routine environmental and public health monitoring.

Consent Calendar

• Councilmember Van Dyke moved, and Councilmember Ballard seconded, to adopt Consent Agenda Items 1 through 5. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote, with no items removed.
• The consent agenda included approval of the December 1, 2025 Workshop summary and the December 3, 2025 Regular Meeting minutes; setting public hearings for a 0.89-acre right-of-way vacation, the 4.88-acre Fox Grove Annexation, the 2.56-acre Morelli Annexation, and the Ricciardella Annexation RM-8 zoning; continuing the Planning Commission term-limit ordinance to January 7, 2026; two FY 2026 intergovernmental agreements for Grand Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization and Grand Valley Transit local match funding; a resolution establishing the 2026 City Council meeting schedule and special meeting procedures; and adoption of the 2026 City Legislative Policy.

City Manager Report and Liaison Reports

• City Manager Mike Bennett had no report.
• Councilmember Beilfuss reported on the One Riverfront Committee, Grand Valley Transit, a police ride-along to homeless encampments, Hilltop and Natural Grocers ribbon cuttings, Food Bank of the Rockies, Meals on Wheels, and Hilltop meetings.
• Councilmember Ballard reported on Forestry Board meetings, including canopy tracking software, water conservation rebates, and safety standards for tree workers and arborists.
• Councilmember Van Dyke reported on the Parade of Lights and the Union Depot historic grant.
• Councilmember Lutz reported on Visit Grand Junction, including October 2025 hotel occupancy of 72.6%, which is 7.5% above the prior October, and on the Grand Junction Housing Authority.
• Councilmember Stout reported on Colorado Municipal League executive board actions, including housing-related legislation, opposition to the HOME Act, and monitoring of land use, public safety, and transparency bills.
• Council President Kennedy reported on Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority, Grand Junction Economic Partnership, and Museums of the West.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Theresa Cambron described personal grievances involving low-income housing, property loss after an inspector-required removal, police treatment, and bank account misuse. No council action was requested.
• Henry Brown said recent statements by Councilmember Lutz and Council President Kennedy suggest the city will not pursue transportation safety policy. He referenced Resolution 86.24, adopted 13 months earlier, which supports the Mesa County Safety Action Plan, and said the city manager directed staff not to pursue a $2 million state Impact Accelerator grant with no local match. He warned that declining to honor the resolution could affect eligibility for a pending $4 million Safe Streets and Roads for All implementation grant for North Avenue sidewalks, and he urged the city to recant recent statements or rescind the resolution.

Discussion Items

Triangle Drain Transfer Ordinance

• Engineering and Transportation Director Trent Prall presented the agreement transferring the Bureau of Reclamation-owned Triangle Drain to the city. The drain, located south of I-70 east of Horizon Drive, originally carried agricultural irrigation return and seep water, but now carries mostly urban stormwater from portions of the Partee Heights, Vista Del Norte, and Applecrest subdivisions.
• The city has previously taken over similar Bureau of Reclamation facilities, including D Drain, E Drain, and a portion of Lateral A1. The transfer includes a non-exclusive easement at no expense, and Prall said the city expects relatively low maintenance.
• The public hearing opened and closed at 6:02 p.m. with no comments.
• Councilmember Nguyen asked about maintenance and liability. Prall said the slopes have been stable, the pipe was inspected, and no concerns were found.

Vendor's Fee Reduction Elimination Ordinance

• Chief Financial Officer Jay Valentine presented Ordinance No. 5290, which eliminates the vendor's fee that retailers may retain for collecting, reporting, and remitting sales tax, effective for returns filed on or after January 1, 2026. The change aligns city policy with the State of Colorado and surrounding municipalities and was already incorporated into the adopted 2026 Budget.
• Councilmember Ballard supported the change for consistency with the state, and Councilmember Beilfuss noted the revenue would support transportation needs. Councilmember Nguyen expressed concern about the relative impact on smaller businesses. Councilmember Stout framed the change as ending a reimbursement for an outdated administrative burden rather than taking money from businesses.
• The public hearing opened at 6:10 p.m. and closed at 6:13 p.m. Candace Carnahan, identified in Council President Kennedy's remarks as speaking on behalf of the chamber and small businesses, said every dollar matters for businesses, noted that Colorado ranks 38th for cost of doing business, and stated that restaurant profit margins average about three cents per dollar. She asked the Council to remember the cumulative pressures on the business community.

Messick-Dangler Annexation and P-2 Zoning

• Community Development Zoning Supervisor Jessica Johnsen presented the request by Carrie Messick, Cory Messick, and Sharon Valarie Dangler to annex 27.20 acres at 378 30 Road and zone the property as Public, Civic, and Institutional Campus, or P-2. She found the annexation met statutory eligibility, including 100% owner consent and more than one-sixth contiguity with city limits, and that P-2 was consistent with the comprehensive plan's residential medium land use designation. The property currently contains a single-family residence and a wedding venue.
• The public hearing opened at 6:31 p.m. and closed at 6:34 p.m.
• William Winger, a neighbor three houses from the property, opposed the annexation because of noise from event parties and live music. He described a history of loud activity that led the county to require permits, and he asked the Council to enforce noise rules.
• Applicant representative Kim Kirk, of Kim Kirk Land Development and Consulting, offered a rebuttal. She acknowledged past issues, including fireworks and late events, but said the owners now comply with city noise and curfew laws and no longer use fireworks.
• Councilmember Stout reminded the public and colleagues that quasi-judicial decisions are limited to statutory criteria. Assistant City Attorney Jeremiah Boies cautioned against considering private property owner rights in the quasi-judicial review. Councilmember Ballard questioned whether the benefit-to-community criteria were actually satisfied, particularly for the P-2 zoning.

Key Outcomes

• Ordinance No. 5289, approving the Triangle Drain transfer agreement, was adopted 7-0 by roll call.
• Ordinance No. 5290, eliminating the vendor's fee reduction, was adopted 7-0 by roll call.
• Resolution No. 85-25, accepting the Messick-Dangler annexation petition, was adopted 7-0 by voice vote.
• Ordinance No. 5291, annexing the Messick-Dangler property, was adopted 7-0 by roll call.
• Ordinance No. 5292, zoning the Messick-Dangler property P-2, was adopted 6-1 by roll call, with Councilmember Ballard voting no.

Other Business

• Council President Kennedy announced a memorial on December 18, 2025 at 10 a.m. at Hawthorne Park for homeless individuals who passed away in 2025, and a Menorah lighting at 5:30 p.m. downtown near the Chrome Buffalo.
• No non-scheduled comments were made.