Resident warns Station 7 may open unstaffed; urges council to honor voter‑approved first responders tax

A Mesa County resident who works as an EMT told Grand Junction City Council on July 7 that Fire Station 7, completed under the voter‑approved first responders sales tax, faces an uncertain staffing timeline and may open unstaffed if additional funds are not secured. Andrea Barber, a 19‑year resident of Mesa County and an EMT, told the council the “To Be First Responders” tax measure approved by voters in 2019 authorized a 0.5 percentage‑point sales and use tax increase to support first responders. Barber said the ballot language explicitly directed proceeds “to build, equip, and staff new fire stations to improve response times and hire, employ, train, and equip police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel,” and she said the community expects the city to follow that promise. Barber described Station 7, located on H Road near Appleton Elementary, as the last of three stations built with the tax proceeds and said that, as of her public comment, the city had “no solid plan in place to staff Station 7 nor to recruit for a fire academy next spring due to lack of funding.” She said: “We built three stations, and we staffed two of them… this is a promise that was made to taxpayers, and it’s a promise I implore this council to find a way to keep sooner rather than later.” Barber also raised practical concerns about response times and the optics of a dark, unstaffed fire station next to an elementary school: “What happens when a fire breaks out in the Appleton District and the community is shocked that the engine responding came from across town and not just right down the street?” Her remarks urged the council to press for a funding solution; Barber said she understands Chief Hendricks and the city manager are “working hard for a solution,” language she used in public comment. City staff did not make a formal presentation on the subject during the meeting; the comment was made during the public‑comment portion of the agenda. The council did not take immediate action at the meeting but the comment highlights a staffing and budget gap tied to voter expectations for first responders tax proceeds.