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# Grand Junction and Mesa County propose 2027 budgets with staffing cuts; Montrose opens at-large council vacancy
- URL: https://www.westernslopetrellis.com/grand-junction-and-mesa-county-propose-2027-budgets-with-staffing-cuts-montrose-opens-at-large-council-vacancy/
- Published: 2026-10-10T18:22:34.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-10T18:22:34.000Z
- Description: Grand Junction and Mesa County unveiled 2027 budgets that cut staff, Grand Junction took the first vote on a one-year data center pause, and Montrose opened an at-large council seat. The data center hearing and the Montrose application deadline both fall on Oct. 21.
- Author: Western Slope Trellis Staff
- Tags: Civic

Grand Junction and Mesa County each released proposed 2027 budgets that reduce staffing, Grand Junction's council advanced a one-year pause on large data centers, and Montrose's council moved one member into a vacant district seat, leaving an at-large seat open for applications.

## Grand Junction City Council

At a Monday, Oct. 5 workshop, council members reviewed City Manager Mike Bennett's recommended 2027 budget. Workshops do not end in votes, and nothing in the proposal has been adopted. "We have to live within our means and we have to adjust our expenses to our revenues," Bennett said. The presentation showed that since 2021 city revenue has grown 30% while expenses have grown 53%. Staff described a structural gap of about $6 million, driven largely by salary and benefit costs, and said city finances have gone from an $11.3 million surplus in 2021 to a deficit. To close it, the draft eliminates 13 positions, 10 of them vacant and three filled, which staff said accounts for about $2 million in savings. It still adds six police officers and three fire battalion chiefs, along with three positions paid from the 911 fund.

Staff described several service changes. City Hall would close its customer service windows on Fridays, though employees would keep working and taking calls, online requests and appointments; staff said keeping the windows open would mean restoring several administrative positions that were cut. Lincoln Park Pool would lose about an hour and a half a day Monday through Thursday, staff coverage at the Dos Rios splash pad would be reduced, the ash tree program would end, and the city's printed calendar, about $60,000 a year, would end after the 2027 edition. Senior Center activities would move to the Community Recreation Center at Matchett Park.

The Senior Center change drew the longest discussion. Councilor Scott Beilfuss said the move would be "a real kick in the stomach" to what he called a safe haven for many low-income residents, and suggested delaying it a year if possible. Councilor Anna Stout disagreed, saying that keeping the expense while asking departments to cut would be "a disingenuous attempt on our part to show that we're being fiscally responsible," and that "we have to make fiscal decisions" for the whole community. Another council member said the change is an operational decision within the city manager's authority rather than a policy decision for council. When a council member asked about selling the building, a city official noted that under the city charter many property sales must go to a public vote. Two days later, during public comment at the regular meeting, a Grand Junction retiree who said she uses the center and pays its annual fee asked the council to consider alternatives, such as leasing space from the county.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, the council voted 6-0 to introduce an ordinance that would suspend the acceptance, processing and approval of applications for data centers with a projected electrical demand of one megawatt or more; Councilor Beilfuss was absent. The ordinance was part of the consent agenda, which passed in a single vote without discussion, and it sets a public hearing for Oct. 21\. The pause would last up to 365 days, ending sooner if the city adopts land use rules for data centers. The city said its current code does not identify data centers as a land use, and that staff would use the time to study effects on water, electricity, wastewater, public safety and nearby properties. Under the draft ordinance, the moratorium applies only going forward: an application the city has accepted as complete before the ordinance takes effect would continue to be processed under existing rules, though the ordinance states that this does not require the city to approve it. A data center already operating in the city would not be affected, but an expansion that crosses the one-megawatt threshold would be. The city said it has been coordinating with Mesa County, which adopted its own one-year moratorium on Sept. 29, so that development near the city boundary faces consistent or complementary rules.

Several residents addressed the moratorium during public comment. A Grand Junction resident who said she wanted to offer a balanced perspective supported a temporary study period but urged the council to build "a smart, proactive roadmap" and avoid "a permanent barrier," and to work with Mesa County on a unified approach. A Redlands resident who said she has been meeting with other residents about data centers commended the moratorium and asked the council to hold public forums or a focus group on the details. Two other speakers thanked the council or asked for public input on future data center rules.

**Coming up:** Council will hold a public hearing and consider the data center ordinance on second reading Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall auditorium, 250 N. 5th St. If adopted, it takes effect 30 days after final passage and publication. The budget workshop continues Monday, Oct. 26, at 4 p.m. at the Fire Department Training Room, 625 Ute Ave. The city has scheduled a public presentation and hearing on the budget Wednesday, Nov. 4, and adoption Nov. 18, both at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall auditorium.

## Mesa County Commissioners

On Tuesday, Oct. 6, commissioners were briefed on the county's proposed 2027 budget. KJCT reported projected revenue of about $252 million against expenditures of nearly $284 million, with just under $32 million drawn from reserves to cover the difference. The proposal eliminates 61 positions, about 5% of the workforce, including about 20 layoffs; most of the positions are vacant. Reductions fall on the county attorney's office, human services, public health and the sheriff's office, with grant-related cuts affecting the district attorney's office, human services and public health. Budget Manager Diane Dziewatkoski said "asking them to cut 10% again just wasn't feasible for some of our departments."

**Coming up:** Departments can appeal before commissioners consider adopting the budget on Nov. 17\. The commissioners' Oct. 13 administrative hearing has been canceled.

## Montrose City Council

Councilor Adam Woodden resigned his at-large seat on Monday, Oct. 5, and at the council's Tuesday, Oct. 6 meeting was appointed to the District IV seat left vacant by Dave Frank's resignation, according to the city. Woodden lives in District IV. The move opens a new at-large vacancy, which the city charter requires council to fill within 30 days. Mayor Michael Badagliacco told KJCT that the District IV seat had to go to someone who had lived in the district for the past 12 months, while the at-large seat is open to residents citywide. "This action proves that we are truly finding common ground rather than having a divided council," he said. Both seats expire in 2028, according to KJCT.

**Coming up:** Applicants must have lived in Montrose for at least 12 consecutive months before appointment and be eligible to register to vote. An application and a letter of interest are due by 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21; the [city's announcement](https://www.cityofmontrose.org/m/newsflash/home/detail/2315?ref=westernslopetrellis.com) links to the application, and the City Clerk's office can be reached at 970-240-1422 or at City Hall, 400 E. Main St. Council will interview candidates at a work session Monday, Nov. 2, and vote on an appointment at a regular meeting that evening, moved from Nov. 3 because of Election Day. KJCT reported that council plans to narrow the field to three finalists, and that if no candidate wins a majority, the decision goes to a special election.

## Around the region

Garfield County commissioners met Oct. 5 and, according to the Sopris Sun, approved $600,000 for the Parachute MOVES project and $200,000 for the Parachute Area Transportation System. The county's proposed 2027 budget shows revenue of $125.9 million and expenditures of $136.4 million; proposed capital and discretionary requests would draw $9.7 million from fund balance. Final approval is expected in November. About 38,000 ballots were mailed Oct. 6, early voting centers open Oct. 19, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

Following its Oct. 1 discussion, the Glenwood Springs City Council will revisit a $265,000 land-acquisition request from Trellis Housing Partners and Sharing Connexion at its Oct. 15 work session, according to the Sopris Sun. The partners want to buy and land-bank 130 Midland Ave. for 36 deed-restricted homes and say they need a decision then to meet Oct. 30 deadlines. The project itself would still go through the city's land-use approval process.