Ideas and Opinions
This section is dedicated to answering questions regarding our main issues in the city of Grand Junction. This section will cover topics such as affordable housing, economic development, the orchard mesa pool, the recreation center and general local process.
Economic Development Spending by the City—Do Taxpayers Get Their Money’s Worth?
The City of Grand Junction in 2023 has budgeted 8% of the budget for economic development. My question is what is this money spent on and how do we evaluate our return on investment in this area of the budget. First of all, it is important to quantify [...]
It’s All About the Money
The City of Grand Junction has a budget of $235 million. Trying to accurately determine how that revenue is raised and how it is spent is not easy. There are some pretty charts in the 2023 Grand Junction calendar that help a bit but that is a publication [...]
Addressing the Need for Affordable Housing in Grand Junction
The Grand Junction City Council should be applauded for making Affordable Housing a key element of the strategic plan developed in 2021. The Grand Junction Housing Report (click here) was presented in September 2021; however, progress toward implementation has been slow. A major milestone was achieved in January 2023 [...]
To Bid or Not to Bid…That is the Question!
When should the City of Grand Junction bid out capital projects? What policy and/or process drives a decision to simply do the work in house? I recently attended a special meeting of the Grand Junction City Council where the Western Colorado Contractors Association and the Grand Junction Area [...]
The Orchard Mesa Pool—Where there is a will there is a way!
“What are you going to do about the Orchard Mesa Pool?” That is probably the number one question I get asked when people find out I am running for Grand Junction City Council. I have fond memories of taking my children to the pool for swimming lessons and [...]