GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Senate Bill 25 passed it's first vote in the state Senate on Wednesday but the Grand Junction City Council has come out against the bill that aims at giving firefighters more leverage in negotiating and expressing their grievances.

Grand Junction City Council members are calling the legislation an "unfunded mandate' for local governments that may want to handle those issues differently.

"We have our own collective bargaining sessions with our employees, we work out our own salary packages with them through a negotiation through benefits, they're happy, we're happy so we see no reason to change," said Grand Junction Mayor Bill Pitts.

Pitts also says the Senate bill would force measure similar to the one that the local community already voted against in 2000.