OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Rock Springs City Council Meeting - July 22, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, July 22, 2026
BodyRock Springs, Wyoming
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, July 22, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 54:41

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

That roll call.

0:03

Counselor Hickerson.

0:04

Here.

0:05

Demas.

0:06

Here.

0:06

Malonus.

0:07

Here.

0:08

Thompson.

0:08

Here.

0:09

Bingham.

0:10

Here.

0:10

Pedrie.

0:11

Here.

0:12

Hansen.

0:13

Here.

0:13

Zotti.

0:14

Here.

0:15

Mayor Mickelson.

0:16

Here.

0:17

So we will start off with our council updates.

0:19

And this evening I will start on my right with Councillor Thompson.

0:23

Thank you, sir.

0:26

Only had a few contacts.

0:29

A lot of it was about weather, water, and elections.

0:33

Meetings I went to and uh things like that.

0:36

Rubbing cuttings at Ironcraft out Northtown.

0:40

And at the Chamber for Breeze Banners.

0:43

The fun one was when we came here on that day to read the Declaration of Independence with the American Legion folks.

0:50

Went to the debates at the Young Heart Senior Center that day.

0:58

Devin Brubaker put on a uh good presentation about the airport and also the uh where they have auto recycling center, which by the way, we got notification they've got mechanical issues, so they don't want people dropping stuff off tonight.

1:18

Uh to the combined communication joint powers board meeting out at the jail, airport board meeting on the 15th.

1:27

And we're supposed to do the monster ride proclamation yesterday, but it kind of schedule got all messed up.

1:35

Uh other than that, that's what I've got.

1:37

Thank you.

1:39

Thank you, sir.

1:40

Councillor Malonis.

1:43

Thank you, Your Honor.

1:45

Uh a couple little things going on.

1:47

Uh as always nuisance issues.

1:51

I had a couple people reach out about the e-bikes and e-scooters.

1:57

So uh I'm looking forward to some kind of rules and regulations.

2:03

What we can do there.

2:05

I uh went to the debates.

2:08

I went to the old timer civic center meeting.

2:11

They went over a couple projects they were looking at accomplishing.

2:16

But one of the one of the main things that I've been hearing is our mental health issues around uh well Wyoming or Rock Springs.

2:26

We're talking about uh, you know, it's a complex problem.

2:30

There's no easy solutions.

2:32

We uh we need to work on normalizing talking about mental health, especially men.

2:38

I don't like to talk about mental health much.

2:41

Uh couple recommendations that I you know I work on my mental health all the time.

2:46

I focus on my sleep, try to stay away from alcohol, less sugar and more fat, get some exercise and be careful about negative thoughts.

2:57

And one of the most important things is to learn from the best.

3:00

I mentioned this before, but Dr.

3:03

Amon, every day he's got really good tips and pointers to help us with our mental health.

3:08

So hopefully we can open up discussion about these issues and kind of get a handle on especially suicide.

3:18

That's it.

3:19

Thank you.

3:20

Thank you, Counselor.

3:22

Counselor Demas.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████26%
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Affordable Housing███████████11%
Technology and Innovation██████████10%
Environmental Protection███████7%
Economic Development██████6%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Rock Springs City Council Meeting - July 22, 2026

The Rock Springs City Council met on July 22, 2026, at 7:00 PM (MDT) in the Council Chambers. The meeting included council updates, approval of consent agenda, public comments on zoning fees, school supply drives, and recycling center support, consideration of several bids and contracts, and approval of multiple resolutions. Councilors provided updates on community events, mental health initiatives, and zoning ordinance revisions.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the consent agenda including: City Council meeting minutes of July 7, 2026; Health Insurance Fund Recap for June 2026; Financial Report Summary for May 2026; Parks and Recreation Monthly Report for June 2026; Urban Renewal Agency Monthly Reports for May and June 2026; Rock Springs Renewal Fund Financial Statements for April and May 2026; and Specific Purpose Tax Board Meeting Minutes of July 9, 2026. Motion by Councilor Thompson, second by Councilor Zotti, passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Gary G. addressed the council regarding zoning fees and carport regulations. He questioned the $340 fee per zoning change, noting that the city's proposed ordinance revisions would be costly if applied per item. He also raised concerns about conflicting rules regarding accessory buildings on corner lots. The Mayor offered to meet with him and Chandler to review his specific situation. Councilor Zotti expressed interest in joining the meeting.
  • Stephanie Current, representing Donation Station (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit), spoke about the "Stuff the Bus" school supply drive. She reported that the organization is fully volunteer-run and helped 450 students last year. Distribution days are scheduled for July 30-August 1, 2026, in Green River and Rock Springs. She requested monetary donations and volunteers. Several councilors expressed support.
  • Rebecca Chessler asked about support for the city's recycling center, noting it appears overwhelmed. The Mayor responded that the Solid Waste District is working with the recycling center board to move the facility to the solid waste site, which would enable curbside recycling. The city is willing to support grant applications. He also noted issues with non-recyclable items being dumped, including a recent incident with kittens in a cardboard box.

Discussion Items

  • Council Updates: Councilors reported on attendance at community events (International Days, Farmers Market, debates, ribbon cuttings, etc.), constituent contacts (weather, water, elections, e-bikes, mental health), and committee meetings. Councilor Malonus highlighted mental health awareness and encouraged open discussion. Councilor Zotti reported on a building committee meeting that reviewed proposed zoning ordinance changes to ease development burdens.
  • New Business - Housing Authority Bid Rejection: The Housing Authority requested permission to reject the sole bid for the Aluminum Pigtail Retrofit Project due to the bid bond being submitted as a personal check instead of a certified check. The request was approved.
  • New Business - Police Fleet Lease: The Police Department requested permission to bid a lease agreement for fleet vehicles to address delivery delays caused by the pandemic. The goal is to break up a backlog of 20 vehicles due for lease end in 2028 by leasing five early. Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 2026-95 - AI Usage Policy: The Housing Authority presented an AI usage policy required by HUD. Councilors Zotti and Bingham questioned the policy's safeguards. The policy defines green (allowable tasks like drafting letters with no personal info), yellow (use with caution, e.g., searching policies), and red (prohibited: no personal identifiable information). A human must review all tenant screening decisions. Approved with abstentions.
  • Resolution 2026-98 - Budget Revision: The city clerk explained that a budget revision was needed to account for higher water purchase costs (due to dry summer) offset by increased water sales. The revision ensures the water enterprise fund division is not overspent. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously.
  • Housing Authority Bills and Claims (June 30 and July 21, 2026): Approved with Councilors Pedrie and Thompson abstaining on the first, and Councilor Thompson abstaining on the second.
  • Bills and Claims (June 30 and July 21, 2026): Both approved unanimously.
  • Salaries for July 7, 2026: Approved with Councilor Thompson abstaining.
  • Reject Bid for Housing Authority Project: Motion carried with Councilors Thompson and Pedrie abstaining.
  • Fill Housing Operations and Accounting Specialist Position: Approved with Councilors Thompson and Pedrie abstaining.
  • Police Fleet Lease Bid: Approved unanimously.
  • Fill Fire Battalion Chief Position: Approved unanimously.
  • Street Closure for Stellar Cellar (October 3, 2026): Approved unanimously.
  • Liquor Catering Permits for Red Desert Roundup Rodeo (July 24-25, 2026): Approved unanimously.
  • Malt Beverage Permits for Sweetwater Speedway Races (August 14-15 and 28-29, 2026): Approved with Councilor Zotti abstaining.
  • Resolution 2026-94 (Job Description for Housing Operations and Community Specialist): Approved with Councilors Petrie and Thompson abstaining.
  • Resolution 2026-95 (AI Usage Policy): Approved with Councilors Petrie and Thompson abstaining.
  • Resolution 2026-96 (Annual Use Agreement with Rock Springs Amateur Hockey Association): Tabled to next meeting pending RSAHA board review.
  • Resolution 2026-97 (Drainage Easement from Union Telephone Company): Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 2026-98 (Budget Revision): Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 2026-99 (Spy Glass Snapshot Audit Agreement): Approved unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

That roll call. Counselor Hickerson. Here. Demas. Here. Malonus. Here. Thompson. Here. Bingham. Here. Pedrie. Here. Hansen. Here. Zotti. Here. Mayor Mickelson. Here. So we will start off with our council updates. And this evening I will start on my right with Councillor Thompson. Thank you, sir. Only had a few contacts. A lot of it was about weather, water, and elections. Meetings I went to and uh things like that. Rubbing cuttings at Ironcraft out Northtown. And at the Chamber for Breeze Banners. The fun one was when we came here on that day to read the Declaration of Independence with the American Legion folks. Went to the debates at the Young Heart Senior Center that day. Devin Brubaker put on a uh good presentation about the airport and also the uh where they have auto recycling center, which by the way, we got notification they've got mechanical issues, so they don't want people dropping stuff off tonight. Uh to the combined communication joint powers board meeting out at the jail, airport board meeting on the 15th. And we're supposed to do the monster ride proclamation yesterday, but it kind of schedule got all messed up. Uh other than that, that's what I've got. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Councillor Malonis. Thank you, Your Honor. Uh a couple little things going on. Uh as always nuisance issues. I had a couple people reach out about the e-bikes and e-scooters. So uh I'm looking forward to some kind of rules and regulations. What we can do there. I uh went to the debates. I went to the old timer civic center meeting. They went over a couple projects they were looking at accomplishing. But one of the one of the main things that I've been hearing is our mental health issues around uh well Wyoming or Rock Springs. We're talking about uh, you know, it's a complex problem. There's no easy solutions. We uh we need to work on normalizing talking about mental health, especially men. I don't like to talk about mental health much.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com