Fruita City Council Minutes 1 March 3, 2026
FRUITA CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MARCH 3, 2026
7:00 P.M.
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Mayor Breman called the regular meeting of the Fruita City Council to order at 7:00 p.m. The meeting
was held both in person and with virtual access provided through Zoom.
Present: Mayor Matthew Breman
Mayor Pro Tem Aaron Hancey
City Councilor Jeannine Purser
City Councilor Rick Parrish
City Councilor Amanda Quigley
City Councilor Amy Miller
Excused Absent: City Councilor James Williams
City Staff Present: City Manager Shannon Vassen
Assistant City Manager Dan Caris
Management Analyst Kaydee Lucero
City Clerk Deb Woods
Planning Director Henry Hemphill
City Engineer John Boulden
City Attorney Mary Elizabeth (virtual)
Also Present: Members of the public (in person and virtual)
2. MOMENT OF SILENCE AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Breman called for a moment of silence for reflection. He then led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. AGENDA - ADOPT/AMEND
• COUNCILOR PURSER MOVED TO ADOPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
COUNCILOR PARRISH SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION PASSED
WITH FIVE YES VOTES.
4. PROCLAMATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
A. PRESENTATION – PRESENTATION AND UPDATE FROM THE REGIONAL
TRANSPORTATION PLANNING OFFICE (RTPO) AND SAFETY ACTION PLAN
REPRESENTATIVES – RTPO DIRECTOR DANA BROSIG, SENIOR
TRANSPORTATION PLANNER RACHEL PETERSON, AND SAFETY TASK FORCE
SAFETY PROGRAM MANAGER TARA FLAHARTY
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City Engineer John Boulden introduced three representatives from the Regional Transportation Planning
Office (RTPO) as Director Dana Brosig, Senior Transportation Planner Rachel Peterson and Safety
Program Manager Tara Flaharty.
Director Dana Brosig explained that the RTPO has been attending local board meetings to provide an
update on what the RTPO is doing and the state of transportation in the Grand Valley.
Brosig presented the following PowerPoint slides:
• The RTPO is a designated umbrella organization that serves:
✓ Grand Valley Transportation Planning Region (TPR)
✓ Grand Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
✓ Grand Valley Transit (GVT)
• Map depicting the urban floor where the RTPO works (all of Mesa County)
• Vision for transportation
• Grand Valley Regional Transportation Committee members (four-person team)
• RTPO staff (eight-person team)
• Advisory Committees consist of:
✓ Transportation Advisory Committee
✓ Mobile Mesa County Alliance
✓ Transportation Safety Task Force
• 2025 RTPO Annual Report
• 2025 RTPO Major highlights consisting of:
✓ Celebrated GVT’s 25 Anniversary
✓ Completed and opened the new GVT Fleet Maintenance Facility
✓ Adopted the Grand Valley 2050 Regional Transportation Plan
• Statistics from the 2025 Annual Report include:
✓ GVT Free Ride promotions
✓ GVT Fixed-Route ridership (580,000 boardings)
✓ Free rides given to D51 students (39,533)
✓ Paratransit rides (29,777)
✓ Amtrack Grand Junction ridership (27,402)
✓ Bustang buses per day (six buses from GJ to Denver and one bus from GJ to Durango)
✓ Map of Bustang ridership showing that it grew 21% in FY 2025
• 2025 Finances
Senior Transportation Planner Rachel Peterson presented the following slides:
• 2025 Transportation Safety Task Force Annual Report
• Vision and Mission of Safety Task Force:
✓ Aimed at reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on Grand Valley roadways
for all modes of transportation
• Safety Task Force involved stakeholders include:
✓ State and local governments (Planning and Engineering staff)
✓ First Responders (law enforcement, firefighters and EMS)
✓ Hospitals (St. Mary’s and Community Hospitals
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✓ Education (School District #51 and CMU)
✓ Non-profit (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)
• Safety Task Force 2025 Major Highlights:
✓ Hired a Safety Program Manager (Tara Flaharty)
✓ Collaborated on a presentation at the statewide 2025 Colorado Traffic Safety Summit
✓ Success with surge operations
✓ Held Cycle Safety Fest
• Mesa County total crashes by year average 2,200 to 2,300 per year.
• Mesa County fatalities and serious injuries by year
• Mesa County is the fourth highest fatality in Colorado.
• Grand Junction is the third highest fatality rate in Colorado.
• State of safety in Mesa County (2019 – 2024):
✓ Impairment was a factor in 24% of fatal and serious injury crashes (behavioral
decisions).
✓ Speeding was a factor in 31% of fatal and serious injury crashes (behavioral decisions).
✓ 24% of fatal and serious injury crashes involved a driver under the age of 25.
✓ 97% of fatal and serious injury pedestrian and bicycle crashes occurred in urban areas.
✓ 35% of motorcycle crashes resulted in a fatality or serious injury.
• Three ways people can help include:
✓ Safety is a shared responsibility; every decision on the road plays a role in protecting
lives.
✓ Get involved by attending community events and joining local efforts to promote
safety.
✓ Spread the word by reminding a loved one to buckle up or put their phone away while
driving.
• 2026 look ahead:
✓ Crash data dashboard is available to the community by visiting mesacounty.us/move-
safe-mesacounty.com.
✓ Outreach in schools
✓ Safety gaps analysis (Safety Program Manager Tara Flaharty is working on)
• Federal Highway Administration Grants received include:
✓ High-risk Network
✓ Messaging & outreach study
✓ Speed feedback signage (Fruita will have two of these signs in the future)
• Upcoming events include:
✓ Crime Stoppers Car Show & Cycle Safety Fest (April 18, 2026 from 10:00 am to 2:00
pm at the Mesa County Fairgrounds)
✓ Bike Month: May 2026 (many events are listed at https://www.mesacounty.us/Bike-
Month/)
✓ 2026 Colorado Traffic Safety Summit (July 14 – 16, 2026 at the Grand Junction
Convention Center)
• Q & A
Councilor Rich Parris stated that he is impressed by the thoroughness and quality of RTPO staff and that
they do take the City of Fruita into consideration in all their work.
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Councilor Purser asked if the Safety Task Force has some version of outreach at local schools that uses
the statistics that were presented. Ms. Brosig said that the Grand Valley RTPO is in the planning stages
of that and has reached out to District #51 to get it set up now that Safety Task Force Safety Program
Manager Tara Flaharty has been hired.
Brosig added that a few other things that parents don’t know about are Colorado’s Graduated Driver
License (GDL) education program for students and parents that implements pledges between parents and
kids about driving. These are the kinds of things that the RTPO is currently planning on sharing and have
been exploring the best space to do so.
Councilor Purser said she thought it would be cool for the RTPO to set up a booth at the Fruita Farmers
Market or something similar to engage with the public.
Mayor Breman asked if Mesa County’s behavioral decisions and higher rate of impaired drivers are in
line with the State of Colorado. Peterson responded that the rate of impaired drivers in Mesa County is a
little bit higher than the state average. She said she just pulled a statistic recently for vulnerable road users
(motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians) and Mesa County’s rate is double the state average for fatalities
for those user groups. Regarding speeding, she thinks Mesa County’s rate might be a little higher than the
state or pretty close to the same depending on where people live.
5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND CONSENT AGENDA
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
Fruita resident Paul Schultz submitted a copy of written comments to the City Clerk to be made part of
the permanent public record. Mr. Schultz spoke in opposition to agenda Item 10(A) – The ratification of
Election Commission appointments and the City’s “hypocritical push for new taxes.”
Schultz accused Mayor Breman of asking the Council to ratify the appointments of Laura Smith and Sam
Bus’sard to the Election Commission so that they could be in control of ballot boxes and election
machinery because they sit on the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee. He called it a conflict of
interest and alleged that the Mayor placed Smith and Bus’sard on the Election Commission in order to
ensure that a tax measure on the 2026 ballot passes.
Schultz then referred to the 19 Road project and a copy of an email from former Planning and
Development Director Dan Caris that confirmed the cost of the project was over $7 million at that time –
“a massive $1,043,608 over its $6 million budget.” He argued that the City’s own permits admit that the
19 Road Project was built to support the ongoing Iron Wheel housing development. He also accused the
City of breaking federal Clean Water Act laws and raiding taxpayers’ dollars to subsidize a developer.
Schultz demanded that the Council vote “No” on ratifying the Election Commission appointments and
that the Mayor find Commissioners who are not “Chamber of Commerce lobbyists.” He added a statement
aimed at taxpayers to not agree to a single new tax until the City of Fruita “stops acting as a taxpayer-
funded bank for private developers.”
There were no further comments from the public.
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CONSENT AGENDA:
A. RESOLUTION 2026-11 – A REQUEST TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION
AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT FOR
SINGLE SIGN ON SERVICES WITH SPRINGBROOK FOR A THREE-YEAR TERM
B. BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS APPOINTMENT – A REQUEST TO APPROVE THE
APPOINTMENT OF ARLENE JACKSON TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION
COMMISSION TO FULFILL AN UNEXPIRED TERM PLUS AN ADDITIONAL
THREE-YEAR TERM TO EXPIRE IN JUNE OF 2029
C. BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS APPOINTMENT – A REQUEST TO APPROVE THE
APPOINTMENT OF ANNIE WILSON TO THE ARTS AND CULTURE BOARD TO
FULFILL AN UNEXPIRED TERM PLUS AN ADDITIONAL THREE-YEAR TERM TO
EXPIRE IN DECEMBER OF 2029
D. ORDINANCE 2026-04 – FIRST READING – AN INTRODUCTION OF AN ORDINANCE
AMENDING TITLE 15 OF THE FRUITA MUNICIPAL CODE TO REPEAL, READOPT
AND AMEND THE INTERNATIONAL FIRE CODE (IFC) TO BE APPLIED
THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF FRUITA AND PROVIDING FOR ADMINISTRATION,
ENFORCEMENT AND APPEAS INCLUDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION OF THE
PROVISIONS OF THESE CODES FOR PUBLICATION OF PUBLIC HEARING ON
APRIL 21, 2026
• COUNCILOR MILLER MOVED TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS
PRESENTED. COUNCILOR QUIGLEY SECONDED THE MOTION. THE
MOTION PASSED WITH FIVE YES VOTES.
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF NEWLY APPOINTED/REAPPOINTED BOARDS AND
COMMISSIONS MEMBERS
Mayor Breman thanked the two individuals who were appointed to the City’s Boards and Commissions.
He named each one and the board to which they were appointed.
7. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ACTION ITEMS
Public hearings are held to obtain input from the public on various items. Public hearings are either
Legislative in nature or Quasi-Judicial in nature. Public Input is limited to three minutes per person.
People speaking should step up to the microphone and state their name and address. Each is
described as follows:
LEGISLATIVE – Legislative public hearings are held when the City Council is considering an item
that establishes legislation such as an ordinance amending or establishing laws of the city.
QUASI-JUDICIAL – Quasi-judicial public hearings are held when the City Council is acting in a
judicial or judge like manner and a person with a legitimate interest is entitled to an impartial
decision made on the basis of information presented and laws in effect. Quasi-judicial hearings are
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commonly held for land use hearings and liquor license hearings. The City Council must limit its
consideration to matters which are placed into evidence and are part of the public record. Quasi-
judicial hearings are held in the following manner:
- Staff presentation - Staff will present the comments and reports received from review agencies and offer a recommendation.
- Applicant Presentation - The petitioner is asked to present the proposal. Presentations should be
brief and to the point and cover all of the main points of the project. - Public Comment - (limit of 3 minutes per person) Speakers must step up to the microphone and state their name and address. Speakers
should be to the point and try not to repeat the points others have made. - Staff and/or applicant(s) respond to public comment.
- Council will ask questions of staff and applicant.
- The public hearing is closed to public comments.
- Make a motion. A member of the City Council will make a motion on the issue.
- Following a second to the motion, the City Council may discuss the motion.
- Vote. The City Council will then vote on the motion.
ORDINANCES - After introduction of an Ordinance (First Reading), a public hearing date is set and
notice of the hearing is published in the newspaper. Staff presents the ordinance on Second Reading
and the hearing is opened to the public for public input. After comments from the public, the Mayor
will close the hearing and bring the Ordinance back to the City Council for discussion and potential
action. The Council will make a motion to approve the Ordinance or take no action. In the event the
ordinance is approved, it will become effective 30 days after adoption.
ACTION ITEMS – Action items are items that require Council action and have public comment.
There were no public hearings or action items on the agenda.
8. ADMINISTRATIVE AGENDA
- CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
City Manager Shannon Vassen provided the following updates and reminders:
Upcoming events include:
Name of event Date/time Location
Economic Development Workshop Friday, March 6, 2026
9:00 am to 1:45 pm
FARM
Coco Vino Saturday, March 7, 2026
6:00 pm
Our Lady of Perpetual Motion
• Shannon also reported that Congressman Hurd, Senator Bennett and Senator Hickenlooper are
opening up their requests for Congressional Directed Spending, which are funds for which the City
of Fruita has been fairly successful in being awarded in the past. The timeline is very short for
when the City can apply or submit projects that the Congressman and Senators might be interested
in funding and Shannon noted that there will be several letters of support on the next Council
agenda. The projects are ones that staff and Council have previously discussed and are included in
the City’s long-range plans such as the Multi-Modal and Circulation Master Plan.
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• Shannon reported that Special Projects Manager Steve Martinez has been working with the
General Manager at City Market on the parking lot issue and looking at a few potential options.
Hopefully they will arrive at a solution soon that works for both the City and the store.
Mayor Breman reported that he and Shannon had a conversation with Congressman Jeff Hurd concerning
how the City’s finances are in great shape and that staff will be submitting some requests for funding.
They expressed to him that because the City’s financial situation is positive, the City knows how to use
those dollars in the best way that they can be used.
10. COUNCIL REPORTS AND ACTIONS
A. ELECTION COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS – A REQUEST TO RATIFY THE
APPOINTMENTS OF LAURA SMITH AND SAM BUS’SARD TO THE ELECTION
COMMISSION
Matthew noted that the Council packet contains the outline of the responsibilities of the Election
Commission and asked if any Council members had any questions.
Amanda stated that she is familiar with both Laura and Sam and feels comfortable and confident in their
abilities to perform the roles of Election Commissioners.
Jeannine said she felt the same but thought it was fair to ask about their affiliations with other groups like
the Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce, although she didn’t necessarily feel that there would be any
conflicts in her opinion.
Matthew explained that he reached out to a number of people for potential appointments to the Election
Commission and the bulk of them were non-Chamber affiliated tangentially or directly. He said he was
very grateful for Laura and Sam (who were the only people who stepped up to serve) and it wasn’t
surprising that they are already involved in the community and are willing to continue to serve the
community. He stressed the fact that he reached out to a wide variety of people including people that are
already serving on the City’s Boards and Commissions.
City Clerk Deb Woods confirmed that Laura’s and Sam’s applications were the only ones that were
received by staff and that it is the Election Commissioners who appoint the Election Judges, which,
pursuant to state statute, must be accomplished by no later than March 23
rd
.
• COUNCILOR PURSER MOVED TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENTS OF
LAURA SMITH AND SAM BUS’SARD TO THE ELECTION COMMISSION FOR
A TWO-YEAR TERM OF MARCH 3, 2026 THROUGH MARCH 3, 2028.
COUNCILOR MILLER SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION PASSED
WITH FIVE YES VOTES.
Matthew thanked both Laura and Sam for their willingness to serve on the Election Commission.
B. COUNCIL REPORTS AND ACTIONS
COUNCILOR JEANNINE PURSER
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Jeannine reported that the Arts and Culture Board met the previous evening to discuss Coco Vino and the
board will be working hard on Saturday to make everything beautiful for everyone.
Jeannine asked if there was any way to express the City’s intent of not allowing the non-functional turf
Ordinance to be retroactive before the Council votes on it on March 17, 2026. Shannon confirmed that it
is staff’s intent for the Ordinance not to be retroactive; it will only apply to new development throughout
Fruita. He assured the Council that staff would ensure the verbiage makes that clear.
COUNCILOR RICH PARRISH
Rich reported that he attended a Fruita Tourism Advisory Council (FTAC) meeting the previous week and
it was great to welcome a new member to the board, Joel Kincaid. He said it was great to see a change in
how the meeting was run and it was good to hear a report from the City’s Marketing and Promotion
agency, Barnhart Communications.
Rich stated that it would be interesting for the Council to know that Barnhart completed an audit on the
GoFruita website, which was a joint effort between City staff and the new ad agency. Barnhart reported
that the website attracted 83,725 active users and 157,904 page views, generating over 616,000 tracked
events. Rich said it confirms that GoFruita is successfully attracting people who are interested in Fruita
and what it offers.
Rich added that the ad agency was high in its praise of City staff. He noted that two long-time members
of the FTAC (the Chamber President & CEO and the owner of Visit Fruita vacation rentals) will be leaving
the board this month so the board has a need for applicants to replace them.
The FTAC also talked about the banners on the Co-Op silo and a Call for Artists for the project.
Rich said the board had a question about what plans the Historic Preservation Board has for the 150/250
Celebration and whether the City Council knows what those might be, so it would be beneficial for the
two boards to have discussions about it. Even with the cancellation of the Fat Tire Festival, the audit
revealed that biking is still Fruita’s main attraction, so the FTAC is having continued conversations about
what the City is doing to replace Fat Tire. For the 150/250 Celebration, the GoFruita website will be listing
“150 Things to Do While in Fruita,” which should be appearing within the next month or so.
City Clerk Deb Woods pointed out that the bylaws of the FTAC dictate that the board membership must
consist of a Fruita Chamber representative but pursuant to the Boards and Commissions Policy, Kayla
Howell is term limited and cannot serve another term. Matthew stated that he would reac