Grand Junction's Community Development Department Sees Mass Exodus of 11 Staff in One Year

Grand Junction’s Community Development department lost 11 employees, including planners, supervisors, and the department director, between September 2025 and September 2026. As of mid-September, the municipal agency faced six vacant positions, according to public records.

Four former city employees, speaking anonymously to protect their careers, stated their departures were driven by frustrations with city management and certain Grand Valley real estate developers. They reported that the Community Development department felt stripped of its autonomy, alleging that the city manager’s office failed to defend it from developers who leveraged personal influence and advisory positions to overturn planning and zoning policies. Past staff also cited berating comments from developers and a general feeling of being “steamrolled” by area real estate and engineering firms.

One former employee, who resigned in the last year, expressed the deep impact of the situation, stating, “I got to the point where I hated going into work, and no one wants that.” This individual, and others, indicated they would have remained if they had felt supported and believed they were doing meaningful work. Another former employee described the exodus of 11 personnel as “a mass exodus.”

The wave of departures has led to significant challenges for remaining staff, with one former official describing typical work weeks stretching to 60 hours or more. The person explained that while overtime was somewhat common, the workload became unmanageable as remaining staff absorbed projects from their outgoing colleagues. This former employee noted that a major factor in staff loss was the "uneasiness around what was happening, and the sheer workload that was expected."

City Manager Mike Bennett stated he was aware of multiple employees who left for personal reasons unrelated to management or developers. However, all four former employees who spoke on the record said their frustration with the city manager’s office was a primary motivator for their resignations. Two specifically attributed their departures to municipal leadership’s response to the Housing Affordability Code Task Force.

Formed last year, the Housing Affordability Code Task Force (HACTF) includes seven city officials, such as Council Members Cody Kennedy, Laurel Lutz, and Jason Nguyen, along with City Manager Bennett. It also comprises a nonprofit representative and 14 local real estate, building, and engineering professionals. The task force aims to reduce regulations that its members argue contribute to delays and high costs in housing developments. Since its formation, HACTF has successfully proposed several policy changes to the city council, including revised bike parking requirements for apartment complexes, fewer mandatory pre-development meetings, and the repeal of rules protecting significant trees.

However, former Community Development staff members expressed skepticism, suggesting that the industry-led task force pruned regulations to benefit developers' bottom line rather than consumers. One former employee remarked, "When you let the monkeys run the circus, it doesn’t always pan out." This person also highlighted that while stakeholders typically advise on zoning codes, the task force seemed to bypass staff completely in the drafting process, leading to a feeling of lack of managerial support.

Two former Community Development employees indicated that department staff were expected to consult the task force on day-to-day operations, including code revisions and educational materials, despite HACTF's official status as an advisory body without final decision-making authority.

Area developers acknowledge the staffing issues. Jane Quimby, project manager for the Redlands 360 community and a member of the HACTF, stated the department is "very, very understaffed," which creates delays for projects. Quimby added that the remaining staff become overwhelmed, creating a "pressure-filled environment" for inexperienced planners handling heavy workloads.

To address the short-staffing, City Manager Bennett said Grand Junction has contracted with KLJ Engineering, a private firm, to assist with planning and development code revisions. He noted that similar hourly, outsourced expenses are becoming more common. Bennett clarified that this is not a permanent solution, and the city is conducting a study on employee compensation across all departments to better attract talent. As of mid-September, Bennett reported that officials were working to fill the open positions, and despite the need for higher salaries for new hires, the search was progressing well.

Public records show that the 11 former employees have largely found new positions. Some have moved out of the area, but most remain in Colorado, often doing similar work for other government bodies or companies. At least two are now working for contractors sometimes hired by the city for planning and zoning-related projects. While the city manager mentioned some departures were for personal reasons, all former employees who spoke about their experiences confirmed they resigned.