Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times 

The City of Grand Junction has appointed a new interim city attorney following the retirement of longtime City Attorney John Shaver, which became effective Jan. 1, marking a major transition in one of the city’s most influential appointed roles.

City Council formally appointed Assistant City Attorney Jeremiah Boies to the interim role during its Jan. 7 meeting. The appointment follows Shaver’s retirement after 35 years of service to the City of Grand Junction, according to the resolution included in the council packet.

Position can span decades

Mayor Cody Kennedy said the city attorney role carries long-term significance, because it often extends well beyond individual council terms and election cycles.

He said the city attorney provides consistency as the makeup of City Council changes over time.

“Over a period of let’s say, six years, we have a whole new set of faces on council,” Kennedy said. “It’s really helpful to have that consistency with the city attorney.”

Shaver served in the City of Grand Junction attorney’s office for 35 years, including roughly two decades as the city’s chief legal officer after being appointed city attorney in 2004. His tenure spanned multiple city managers and dozens of city council members.

Kennedy said his hope is that the next permanent city attorney has similar staying power to Shaver.

“Hopefully, whoever our next attorney is will be there for decades,” he said. “That’s my hope.”

Legal work touches nearly every city function

Kennedy described the city attorney’s office as being involved in nearly every aspect of city operations.

“They touch almost everything,” he said. “There’s always something happening.”

That work includes real estate transactions, litigation risk, police-related matters and vehicle incidents involving city employees. Essentially, Kennedy said, the city attorney handles anything in which somebody wants to sue the city.

The city attorney also plays a central role during council meetings and quasi-judicial proceedings such as rezoning applications, where council members must follow strict legal standards.

Kennedy said he regularly relies on the city attorney for guidance on procedural issues and legal boundaries during council deliberations, including parliamentary matters and quasi-judicial decisions.

When council members receive outside communications related to quasi-judicial matters, Kennedy said the attorney’s office helps track and manage potential conflicts.

Details of Boies’ interim appointment

At the Jan. 7 council meeting, Jeremiah Boies was appointed interim city attorney by resolution. The appointment was made pursuant to Section 56 of the Grand Junction City Charter, which assigns the council the authority to appoint the city attorney on either a permanent or temporary basis, rather than being hired directly by the city manager like most other city positions.

The resolution appointing Boies states he will serve as interim city attorney “until replaced or a permanent appointment is made,” with the appointment effective Jan. 7, 2026. The packet notes the council determined Boies met the qualifications prescribed by the charter and would perform the duties of the office during the interim period.

In addition to the appointment resolution, council introduced an ordinance on first reading to set the interim city attorney’s salary, as required by the Grand Junction Municipal Code. Under the ordinance, Boies’ compensation is set at $115.38 per hour, based on an assumed 2,080 hours annually, for a total annual amount of $240,000. The packet states the compensation is included in the city’s adopted 2026 budget and does not require additional appropriations.

Council scheduled a public hearing on the salary ordinance for Jan. 21.

The employment agreement does not establish a fixed term and allows City Council to end the appointment at any time or transition to a permanent city attorney when a long-term appointment is made.

The agreement further states that, under the charter, the city attorney’s appointment may be permanent or temporary, and the interim city attorney carries the full duties and responsibilities of the office.

Kennedy said the city council has not yet set a timeline for hiring a permanent city attorney.