Grand Junction was founded in 1882. In 1921 Grand Junction community members approved a Council-Manager form of government, which became popular in the early part of the 20th century. The Council-Manager system combines the political leadership of elected officials with the managerial expertise of an appointed local government manager. The City Council members are elected by Grand Junction voters to make policy decisions and adopt laws, and act as the board of directors would in a large private corporation.
The City's guiding document is the City Charter. The City is a Colorado Home Rule Municipality and adopted the Charter as provided in the Colorado Constitution. The Charter sets out the structure of the City government, including the powers and duties of the City Council and the City Manager, along with general guidelines for the operations of the City the salaries of City Council, and it provides for City elections/election procedures. The Charter may be amended only by the people in a municipal election. The Charter was first adopted on September 14, 1909.
The Grand Junction City Council is comprised of seven community members - five of whom are elected from and represent certain City districts - and two that are elected at-large. Regular municipal elections are held in April of odd years.