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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Grand Junction City Council Regular Meeting – January 21, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, January 21, 2026

BodyGrand Junction, Colorado

SessionCity Council

DateWednesday, January 21, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:00

How do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a hug

Speaker 1

49:45

Have a discussion, learn about some updates, and ask uh

Speaker 2

49:47

questions that they'd like about the operations of the city.

49:51

Thanks.

Speaker 3

49:52

Great.

49:53

Thank you.

49:53

And before we start our boards and commission the liaison reports, I just want to check in one more time.

49:58

Do we have we reestablished with council members now?

Speaker 4

50:02

Welcome.

Unassigned speaker

50:03

I'm sorry, did you say that?

Speaker 4

50:04

Yes, I'm I'm present and able now.

Speaker 3

50:08

Okay, great.

50:08

Thank you.

50:09

All right.

50:09

So uh moving on towards in uh commission liaison's little uh reports.

50:13

We'll start with Scott Baufass on my left chairway.

Speaker 5

50:18

Uh thank you, Mr.

50:19

Mayor.

50:20

Uh this week was the Martin Luther King holiday.

50:23

I'm uh liaison to the Black Citizens and Friends Committee, and uh it was a great turnout.

50:29

I mean, there's hundreds of people there.

50:32

Um there was March that followed elected officials came and made proclamations, and uh, you know, the highlight was probably recognizing David Clumbs, who we've had at City Council meetings for years, and he's kind of hanging up his hat as far as involvement in some of these things.

50:50

He'll still be around the community, I'm sure, but David Combs has done a lot for us and uh so it's great to recognize him and his family for all the sacrifices and contributions they made in the community.

51:04

It was really a nice day.

51:06

Um we oh the big business incubator uh hosted a um uh report done by uh Nathan Perry, a professor at CMU.

51:18

Uh did an ag study about the impact of agriculture in a five county area around here.

51:23

Mason County was far and away the biggest uh county impact

Unassigned speaker

51:28

Speaker 5

51:28

there.

51:29

One thing they said in the report that is that the egg community didn't feel like they were supported adequately by their local government, so that's something we might look into in the future because certainly um you know we have a lot of benefits, and it seems to me the small I the part of the report was that the small egg uh farms were growing a lot, and certainly we see it in Mason County with all the farm to fork uh providers, and uh you know I thought that was great that young people were getting involved with that.

52:03

Uh, community's been involved in impacted a lot by drought and fire, so that was that was interesting

Unassigned speaker

52:10

to get

Speaker 5

52:10

catch-ups like that.

52:12

Homeless coalition is involved with the uh pit count coming up next week.

52:16

For those of you that don't know, it's the point time count count.

52:20

And uh we're doing a count starting Tuesday night of all our homeless in the valley.

52:26

It's really not just concentrated on Grand Junction.

52:29

And uh I'll be involved with that.

52:32

Uh the housing um department here is heavily involved with that, and so we we hope to get a really good feel about you know what's going on with the homeless community, where they are and uh, you know, the services that they're using.

52:47

Um as part of that, um the homeless coalition as well.

52:51

The We Shelter Group is providing housing, uh overnight housing for uh right now it's 10 uh guys, and I spent my first night with that group uh last week.

53:05

It was very interesting to hear some of the stories.

53:08

Um, you know, the public perception sometimes is that the homeless are lazy.

53:13

Um one of the gentlemen staying at first and orchard up here at the church was bike riding to Fruta every day to offer a job.

53:24

So, you know, I mean, talk about really trying to get out of a situation that really was heartwarming.

53:32

Uh last thing last night was really a kick.

53:34

Uh, we had round table with restore the balance with the elected officials.

53:38

I was one of them, participated.

53:40

Uh we had round table, five round tables, four round tables.

53:44

There was about 50 people there, so we had great discussions about uh a lot of things that came up for me at the different groups were uh downtown density, um housing concerns, homeless concerns, uh information about the rec center, and uh conversations about city revenues.

54:02

And uh so it was it was it was a great outreach.

54:05

We had a uh really good discussions.

54:07

Thank

Unassigned speaker

54:08

you.

Speaker 3

54:08

Thank you, Councilmember Ballard.

Unassigned speaker

54:10

Speaker 6

54:11

thank you, Mr.

54:11

Mayor.

54:12

Um, I have a report for the forestry board.

54:15

I wanted to highlight, I don't know normally expand too much on my board report, but I wanted to highlight one of the important functions of the forestry board is to protect its citizens from uh the assistance of Grand Junction from um uh unsafe tree work.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural████████████████████████████████████████████44%

Zoning And Development███████████████████████23%

Personnel Matters██████████████14%

Affordable Housing████4%

Community Engagement██2%

Community Development Block Grant██2%

Engineering And Infrastructure██2%

Procurement Policies██2%

Public Safety██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Grand Junction City Council Regular Meeting – January 21, 2026

The Grand Junction City Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 250 North 5th Street, convening at 5:30 p.m. and adjourning at 7:49 p.m. Council President Cody Kennedy presided, with Councilmembers Robert Ballard, Scott Beilfuss, Jason Nguyen, Anna Stout (virtual after an audio issue was resolved), Ben Van Dyke, and Mayor Pro Tem Laurel Lutz present. City Manager Mike Bennett, Interim City Attorney Jeremiah Boies, and other staff were on hand. The meeting included a proclamation, appointments, public comments, consent agenda, and public hearings on legislative and quasi-judicial items, all of which passed unanimously.

Consent Calendar

Approval of minutes from the January 7, 2026 regular meeting.
Setting of public hearings for February 4, 2026, concerning zoning code amendments (Planned Development, Mixed-Use Downtown District, Short-Term Rentals, Accessory Uses, etc.), an extension of the prohibition on new gaming arcades, comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning of 3.72 acres at 377 and 379 29 Road, zoning the Morelli Annexation to Mixed-Use Light Commercial, and related items.
A parking agreement for the Terminal Project.
Authorization of the construction contract for the Patterson Sidewalk Project (item 4.a. removed to the regular agenda).
Approval of the 400 Block Main Street Improvements procurement.
A resolution extending the Travel and Tourism MOU for the 2018 voter-approved 3% lodgers tax increase for up to six months.
A resolution authorizing sale of city property at 536 ½ Willow Road.
A resolution amending Resolution 81-25 regarding the Fox Grove Annexation to correct the land‑use control area.

All consent items except 4.a. were adopted on a single motion (7‑0).

Public Comments & Testimony

General Public Comments: Gabe Lord, Mary Shawcroft, Florence Irene Shields, Paul Fox, and Theresa Cambron addressed the Council (specific topics not recorded in the minutes).

Public Hearings:

Ordinance on Application Outreach Meetings & Accessible Parking: No public comments.
Ordinance on Pre‑Application Meetings: Mark Austin, a civil engineer and member of the Housing Affordability Task Force, spoke in support, stating the mandatory meeting requirement could add 1½ to 2 months to project timelines and that eliminating it would help accelerate housing development.
Ordinance Setting Interim City Attorney Salary: Dennis Simpson expressed concern about possible open‑meeting violations and urged an open, competitive process for a permanent attorney. Jack Byrum also called for an open process to ensure the city hires the best candidate for municipal law.
Morelli & Fox Grove Annexations: No public comments.

Discussion Items

4.a. Patterson Sidewalk Project (Construction Contract): Engineering Manager Ken Haley explained that bids came in over budget, prompting value engineering. Pedestrian lighting was reduced after realizing existing street lights could meet illumination standards, and the number of decorative boulders was cut. The revised contract retains full lighting requirements per transportation design standards. Councilmember Nguyen asked about future additions and connectivity to three bus stops; staff confirmed the design includes connections and a bus‑stop pull‑out. The contract was approved 7‑0.
6.a.i. Ordinance Authorizing Scheduled Increase in Employer Contributions to Police & Fire 401(a) Plans: Human Resources Director Shelley Caskey noted the ordinance aligns the city’s 401(a) contribution schedule with the Fire and Police Pension Association (FPPA) Defined Benefit Plan, which requires annual 0.5% increases through 2030. The ordinance (No. 5297) passed 7‑0 following a public hearing with no testimony.
6.a.ii. Ordinance Amending Zoning & Development Code (Application Outreach Meetings & Accessible Parking): Principal Planner Tim Lehrbach presented two unrelated amendments. The first removes neighborhood meeting requirements for code text amendments and applies them only to vacation of public right‑of‑way. The second adds state‑compliant accessible electric‑vehicle parking provisions. Councilmember Beilfuss noted that a third section on irrigation easements was not being acted on. Ordinance 5298 passed 7‑0 after a public hearing with no testimony.
6.a.iii. Ordinance Amending Zoning & Development Code (Pre‑Application & General Meetings): Principal Planner Daniella Acosta Stine explained that the Housing Affordability Code Task Force recommended removing mandatory pre‑application meetings for major site plans, subdivisions, and planned developments, as the requirement produced inconsistent results. Staff will continue to offer optional pre‑application and general meetings. Ordinance 5299 passed 7‑0 after public testimony (Mark Austin, cited above).
6.a.iv. Ordinance Setting Interim City Attorney Salary: City Manager Mike Bennett provided background on the recruitment of Jeremiah Boies to the assistant city attorney role and the transition plan prepared by former City Attorney John Shaver. The ordinance sets the interim salary, with a reversion to assistant city attorney if Mr. Boies is not selected for the permanent role. Council discussed the hiring process, with Councilmembers Stout and Ballard emphasizing the need for a transparent public process; Council President Kennedy assured that a future workshop would address the permanent recruitment. Ordinance 5300 passed 7‑0 after public testimony.
6.b.i. Morelli Annexation (2.56 acres): The applicant, Morelli Family Trust, requested annexation of a vacant parcel between 3105 E ½ Road and 3112 I‑70B for mixed‑use or commercial development. The land is within the Persigo Agreement area. The resolution accepting the petition (No. 08‑26) and the annexation ordinance (No. 5301) both passed 7‑0.
6.b.ii. Fox Grove Annexation (4.75 acres): The applicant, Grand Junction Real Estate Investments LLC, sought annexation of a single‑family residence parcel at 3071 E ½ Road for residential development. Both annexation and zoning to Residential Medium‑8 (RM‑8) were considered concurrently. Staff noted a correction to the petition was made on the consent agenda. The resolution (No. 09‑26), annexation ordinance (No. 5302), and zoning ordinance (No. 5303) all passed 7‑0.
Boards & Commission Liaison Reports: Councilmembers provided updates on the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, the homeless coalition point‑in‑time count, the Downtown Development Authority parking meeting (Jan. 29), Visit Grand Junction (hotel occupancy ahead of state/national averages; shortage of about 2,000 hotel rooms), the Grand Junction Housing Authority’s progress on the Saltflats project SLP partnership, the Colorado Municipal League meeting, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the Horizon Drive trail issues, the Airport Authority (escalator repair, construction of solar‑covered parking with EV charging), the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, and the Los Alonios Development Corporation. The highlights included gas prices down 50% from the 2022 peak and the release of an agricultural impact study by CMU.
Other Business: Councilmember Ballard announced he will deploy with the National Guard to Egypt starting in April 2026 for one year and intends to participate remotely whenever possible.

Key Outcomes

All consent items (except 4.a.) adopted 7‑0.
Patterson Sidewalk Project construction contract authorized 7‑0.
Ordinance 5297 (Police & Fire 401(a) employer contribution increase) adopted on final passage 7‑0.
Ordinance 5298 (application outreach meetings and accessible parking) adopted 7‑0.
Ordinance 5299 (eliminating mandatory pre‑application meetings) adopted 7‑0.
Ordinance 5300 (setting Interim City Attorney salary) adopted 7‑0.
Morelli Annexation (Resolution 08‑26, Ordinance 5301) adopted 7‑0.
Fox Grove Annexation (Resolution 09‑26, Ordinance 5302) and zoning to RM‑8 (Ordinance 5303) adopted 7‑0.
Appointments to the Planning Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals (Caleb Abeloe, Merritt Sixbey) and the Commission on Arts & Culture (Porcia Silverberg, Pamela Blythe, Gilberto Ramirez Macias, TJ Smith, Bill Lelbach) each approved 6‑0 (voice vote).
Council directed that a workshop be scheduled to discuss the process for recruiting a permanent city attorney.

Meeting Transcript

How do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a h do we give us a hug Have a discussion, learn about some updates, and ask uh questions that they'd like about the operations of the city. Thanks. Great. Thank you. And before we start our boards and commission the liaison reports, I just want to check in one more time. Do we have we reestablished with council members now? Welcome. I'm sorry, did you say that? Yes, I'm I'm present and able now. Okay, great. Thank you. All right. So uh moving on towards in uh commission liaison's little uh reports. We'll start with Scott Baufass on my left chairway. Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh this week was the Martin Luther King holiday. I'm uh liaison to the Black Citizens and Friends Committee, and uh it was a great turnout. I mean, there's hundreds of people there. Um there was March that followed elected officials came and made proclamations, and uh, you know, the highlight was probably recognizing David Clumbs, who we've had at City Council meetings for years, and he's kind of hanging up his hat as far as involvement in some of these things. He'll still be around the community, I'm sure, but David Combs has done a lot for us and uh so it's great to recognize him and his family for all the sacrifices and contributions they made in the community. It was really a nice day. Um we oh the big business incubator uh hosted a um uh report done by uh Nathan Perry, a professor at CMU. Uh did an ag study about the impact of agriculture in a five county area around here. Mason County was far and away the biggest uh county impact um there. One thing they said in the report that is that the egg community didn't feel like they were supported adequately by their local government, so that's something we might look into in the future because certainly um you know we have a lot of benefits, and it seems to me the small I the part of the report was that the small egg uh farms were growing a lot, and certainly we see it in Mason County with all the farm to fork uh providers, and uh you know I thought that was great that young people were getting involved with that. Uh, community's been involved in impacted a lot by drought and fire, so that was that was interesting to get catch-ups like that. Homeless coalition is involved with the uh pit count coming up next week. For those of you that don't know, it's the point time count count. And uh we're doing a count starting Tuesday night of all our homeless in the valley. It's really not just concentrated on Grand Junction. And uh I'll be involved with that. Uh the housing um department here is heavily involved with that, and so we we hope to get a really good feel about you know what's going on with the homeless community, where they are and uh, you know, the services that they're using. Um as part of that, um the homeless coalition as well. The We Shelter Group is providing housing, uh overnight housing for uh right now it's 10 uh guys, and I spent my first night with that group uh last week. It was very interesting to hear some of the stories. Um, you know, the public perception sometimes is that the homeless are lazy. Um one of the gentlemen staying at first and orchard up here at the church was bike riding to Fruta every day to offer a job. So, you know, I mean, talk about really trying to get out of a situation that really was heartwarming. Uh last thing last night was really a kick. Uh, we had round table with restore the balance with the elected officials. I was one of them, participated. Uh we had round table, five round tables, four round tables. There was about 50 people there, so we had great discussions about uh a lot of things that came up for me at the different groups were uh downtown density, um housing concerns, homeless concerns, uh information about the rec center, and uh conversations about city revenues.

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TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
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Grand Junction City Council Regular Meeting – January 21, 2026

Consent Calendar

Approval of minutes from the January 7, 2026 regular meeting.

Setting of public hearings for February 4, 2026, concerning zoning code amendments (Planned Development, Mixed-Use Downtown District, Short-Term Rentals, Accessory Uses, etc.), an extension of the prohibition on new gaming arcades, comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning of 3.72 acres at 377 and 379 29 Road, zoning the Morelli Annexation to Mixed-Use Light Commercial, and related items.

A parking agreement for the Terminal Project.

Authorization of the construction contract for the Patterson Sidewalk Project (item 4.a. removed to the regular agenda).

Approval of the 400 Block Main Street Improvements procurement.

A resolution extending the Travel and Tourism MOU for the 2018 voter-approved 3% lodgers tax increase for up to six months.

A resolution authorizing sale of city property at 536 ½ Willow Road.

A resolution amending Resolution 81-25 regarding the Fox Grove Annexation to correct the land‑use control area.

All consent items except 4.a. were adopted on a single motion (7‑0).

Public Comments & Testimony

General Public Comments: Gabe Lord, Mary Shawcroft, Florence Irene Shields, Paul Fox, and Theresa Cambron addressed the Council (specific topics not recorded in the minutes).

Public Hearings:

Ordinance on Application Outreach Meetings & Accessible Parking: No public comments.

Ordinance on Pre‑Application Meetings: Mark Austin, a civil engineer and member of the Housing Affordability Task Force, spoke in support, stating the mandatory meeting requirement could add 1½ to 2 months to project timelines and that eliminating it would help accelerate housing development.

Ordinance Setting Interim City Attorney Salary: Dennis Simpson expressed concern about possible open‑meeting violations and urged an open, competitive process for a permanent attorney. Jack Byrum also called for an open process to ensure the city hires the best candidate for municipal law.

Morelli & Fox Grove Annexations: No public comments.

Discussion Items

4.a. Patterson Sidewalk Project (Construction Contract): Engineering Manager Ken Haley explained that bids came in over budget, prompting value engineering. Pedestrian lighting was reduced after realizing existing street lights could meet illumination standards, and the number of decorative boulders was cut. The revised contract retains full lighting requirements per transportation design standards. Councilmember Nguyen asked about future additions and connectivity to three bus stops; staff confirmed the design includes connections and a bus‑stop pull‑out. The contract was approved 7‑0.

6.a.i. Ordinance Authorizing Scheduled Increase in Employer Contributions to Police & Fire 401(a) Plans: Human Resources Director Shelley Caskey noted the ordinance aligns the city’s 401(a) contribution schedule with the Fire and Police Pension Association (FPPA) Defined Benefit Plan, which requires annual 0.5% increases through 2030. The ordinance (No. 5297) passed 7‑0 following a public hearing with no testimony.

6.a.ii. Ordinance Amending Zoning & Development Code (Application Outreach Meetings & Accessible Parking): Principal Planner Tim Lehrbach presented two unrelated amendments. The first removes neighborhood meeting requirements for code text amendments and applies them only to vacation of public right‑of‑way. The second adds state‑compliant accessible electric‑vehicle parking provisions. Councilmember Beilfuss noted that a third section on irrigation easements was not being acted on. Ordinance 5298 passed 7‑0 after a public hearing with no testimony.

6.a.iii. Ordinance Amending Zoning & Development Code (Pre‑Application & General Meetings): Principal Planner Daniella Acosta Stine explained that the Housing Affordability Code Task Force recommended removing mandatory pre‑application meetings for major site plans, subdivisions, and planned developments, as the requirement produced inconsistent results. Staff will continue to offer optional pre‑application and general meetings. Ordinance 5299 passed 7‑0 after public testimony (Mark Austin, cited above).

6.a.iv. Ordinance Setting Interim City Attorney Salary: City Manager Mike Bennett provided background on the recruitment of Jeremiah Boies to the assistant city attorney role and the transition plan prepared by former City Attorney John Shaver. The ordinance sets the interim salary, with a reversion to assistant city attorney if Mr. Boies is not selected for the permanent role. Council discussed the hiring process, with Councilmembers Stout and Ballard emphasizing the need for a transparent public process; Council President Kennedy assured that a future workshop would address the permanent recruitment. Ordinance 5300 passed 7‑0 after public testimony.

6.b.i. Morelli Annexation (2.56 acres): The applicant, Morelli Family Trust, requested annexation of a vacant parcel between 3105 E ½ Road and 3112 I‑70B for mixed‑use or commercial development. The land is within the Persigo Agreement area. The resolution accepting the petition (No. 08‑26) and the annexation ordinance (No. 5301) both passed 7‑0.

6.b.ii. Fox Grove Annexation (4.75 acres): The applicant, Grand Junction Real Estate Investments LLC, sought annexation of a single‑family residence parcel at 3071 E ½ Road for residential development. Both annexation and zoning to Residential Medium‑8 (RM‑8) were considered concurrently. Staff noted a correction to the petition was made on the consent agenda. The resolution (No. 09‑26), annexation ordinance (No. 5302), and zoning ordinance (No. 5303) all passed 7‑0.

Boards & Commission Liaison Reports: Councilmembers provided updates on the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, the homeless coalition point‑in‑time count, the Downtown Development Authority parking meeting (Jan. 29), Visit Grand Junction (hotel occupancy ahead of state/national averages; shortage of about 2,000 hotel rooms), the Grand Junction Housing Authority’s progress on the Saltflats project SLP partnership, the Colorado Municipal League meeting, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the Horizon Drive trail issues, the Airport Authority (escalator repair, construction of solar‑covered parking with EV charging), the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, and the Los Alonios Development Corporation. The highlights included gas prices down 50% from the 2022 peak and the release of an agricultural impact study by CMU.

Other Business: Councilmember Ballard announced he will deploy with the National Guard to Egypt starting in April 2026 for one year and intends to participate remotely whenever possible.

Key Outcomes

All consent items (except 4.a.) adopted 7‑0.

Patterson Sidewalk Project construction contract authorized 7‑0.

Ordinance 5297 (Police & Fire 401(a) employer contribution increase) adopted on final passage 7‑0.

Ordinance 5298 (application outreach meetings and accessible parking) adopted 7‑0.

Ordinance 5299 (eliminating mandatory pre‑application meetings) adopted 7‑0.

Ordinance 5300 (setting Interim City Attorney salary) adopted 7‑0.

Morelli Annexation (Resolution 08‑26, Ordinance 5301) adopted 7‑0.

Fox Grove Annexation (Resolution 09‑26, Ordinance 5302) and zoning to RM‑8 (Ordinance 5303) adopted 7‑0.

Appointments to the Planning Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals (Caleb Abeloe, Merritt Sixbey) and the Commission on Arts & Culture (Porcia Silverberg, Pamela Blythe, Gilberto Ramirez Macias, TJ Smith, Bill Lelbach) each approved 6‑0 (voice vote).

Council directed that a workshop be scheduled to discuss the process for recruiting a permanent city attorney.

Meeting Transcript