Rock Springs City Council Meeting – August 19, 2026
Rock Springs City Council Meeting – August 19, 2026
The Rock Springs City Council convened on August 19, 2026, to hear council updates, receive public comments on a proposed fee waiver for an affordable housing development, and act on consent agenda items, bid openings, a commendation, new business items, and several resolutions. Key actions included tabling a request to waive approximately $250,000 in city fees for the 48-unit affordable housing project known as The Gardens at White Mountain and approving all other agenda items without dissent.
Consent Calendar
- Approved city council meeting minutes of August 4, 2026.
- Appointed Will Wheatley and Roger Hartman to third terms on the Building Code of Appeals.
- Accepted the health insurance fund recap for July 2026, parks and recreation monthly report for July 2026, Rock Springs Renewal Fund financial statements for June 2026, Rock Springs Historical Museum Board meeting minutes of May 12, 2026, and the Specific Purpose Tax Joint Powers Board meeting minutes of July 9, 2026.
- Accepted the 2026 Kilpecker Creek Goat Grazing Project Report and the Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism Board approved budget for fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.
Public Hearing
- A public hearing was held on an application for transfer of a retail liquor license by Maverick Group LLC (doing business as Maverick #741). No public testimony was offered, and the hearing was closed.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Austin Cack, Director of Development for Overland Property Group, requested a waiver of permit and tap fees (approximately $250,000) for The Gardens at White Mountain, a 48-unit deed-restricted affordable housing development at the corner of Arthur Avenue and Foothill Boulevard. He explained that the project faces a $2 million funding gap due to higher-than-expected construction bids, and that the developer is forgoing its own profit to close half that gap. The project is backed by federal and state funds administered by the Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA), with rents ranging from $450/month for a one-bedroom at 30% area median income (AMI) to $1,100/month for a three-bedroom at 80% AMI. He emphasized that the project would increase the tax base and that all costs are publicly available through WCDA.
- Frankie Volsick, a resident on Arthur Street, spoke in opposition to the fee waiver. He argued that the city faces budget constraints, that waiving fees sets a bad precedent, and that additional traffic from the development would worsen safety on Arthur Street, where cars frequently speed and run the stop sign. He also raised concerns about a major gas line running through the property and potential impacts on property values in the adjacent subdivision.
Discussion Items
- Council Updates: Each council member reported on community events attended, including ribbon cuttings (Outlaw Inn, Amigos Industrial Supply), debates at Western Wyoming Community College, the Boys & Girls Club open house, the mobile food pantry, and various meetings (civic center, water rate study, lodging tax, union, chamber). Several members mentioned constituent calls about e-bikes, the golf course condition, drainage issues, and the fee waiver request. Mayor Mickelson announced that the e-bike ordinance workshop originally scheduled for August had been moved to September 15, 2026 to allow more time for public input.
- Bid Openings: Staff opened bids for the Rock Springs Housing Authority Aluminum Pigtail Retro Fit (three bids: Stooge Electric LLC – $245,000; Infinity Power Corporation – $249,995; Y Electric – amount not specified) and for vehicle leasing and fleet management (multiple bids: United Fleet Services, Global Lease Group, Acne Auto Leasing, Enterprise Fleet Management). All bids were referred to staff for evaluation.
- Commendation: Police Chief acknowledged the retirement of Sergeant Travis Mosier after 22 years of service. Mosier was presented with a shadow box and a retirement badge and thanked the community and his family.
- New Business:
- Approved transfer of retail liquor license for Maverick #741 (unanimous). Discussion included questions about frequent transfers and state statutes regarding alcohol display.
- Approved request from police department to fill a vacant evidence technician position (unanimous).
- Request to waive city fees for The Gardens at White Mountain – Councilor Hickerson moved to table the item to allow further study; motion seconded and passed unanimously. The item will be reconsidered at a future meeting.
- Approved liquor catering permits for the Rocky Mountain Mining Summit on August 26–27, 2026 (unanimous).
- Approved road closure request from Western Whisk Cheesecake Company for a monthly car show on August 21, 2026 (unanimous).
- Resolutions: All resolutions were approved unanimously unless noted:
- 2026-108: Ice rental agreement with Team Hockey, LLC (junior team).
- 2026-109: Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant award.
- 2026-110: Fleet charge account agreement with Rocky Mountain Car Wash, LLC.
- 2026-111 & 2026-112: Acceptance of drainage easements from Wyoming Wool Warehouse.
- 2026-113: Annual use agreement with Rock Springs Amateur Hockey Association (local youth).
- 2026-114: Grant award of $5,000 for the fire department from Enbridge Safe Community First Responder program.
- 2026-115: Establishment of unpaid volunteer position of Community Volunteer Coordinator.
Key Outcomes
- Tabled: The request to waive city fees (approximately $250,000) for The Gardens at White Mountain was tabled by unanimous vote. Council will revisit after developing a formal process for such requests.
- E-bike workshop rescheduled: The workshop on the proposed e-bike ordinance was moved from August to September 15, 2026 at 6 p.m.
- All other votes: Consent agenda, new business items (except the tabled waiver), and all resolutions passed unanimously, with Councilors Petrie and Thompson abstaining on the Rock Springs Housing Authority bills and claims, and Councilor Thompson abstaining on the salary approval.
Meeting Transcript
Kids busy on the seventh went to the outlaw in restaurant ribbon cutting for their they had already been reopening, but it was their uh ribbon cutting for reopening of the restaurant, which has kind of been uh Rock Springs mainstay for years. And earlier that morning morning went to the Amigos Industrial Supply Company out on back of the road for the 20th anniversary. Uh 10th and 11th did uh police testing with subil service. And on the 11th, uh like a bunch of us did, went to the debates uh up at the college. That's all I've got tonight. Thank you, sir. Counselor Maloneas. Thank you, Your Honor. Uh quite a few things going. Uh one one of the things I did is went to the boys and girls club where they were uh having an open house, and they did an excellent job on uh America's 250th birthday. They decorated that whole place. If you get a chance, you should maybe go take a look at it. At Lisa Stewart, she does a really good job at the Boys and Girl Girls Club. Uh it was very encouraging to see what what they got going there. Uh I went to the debate, went to the meet and greet, went to uh we had an old timer civic center meeting last night. We talked about a couple projects, talked about the uh resolution. Also uh always uh nuisance ordinance or nuisance people calling me. Trailer parks, golf course, uh properties. Seems like we got a pretty good handle on it. Also went to a uh water rate study. Probably gonna see those rates go up again, folks. Also uh attended a travel and tourism presentation on this next uh ballot initiative to uh include uh uh lodging tax, another two two percent. We're just gonna re-up it. We already charged two percent, so I think it's a really good deal. And I also went into uh uh United Steel Workers Union meeting the other day, talked about a couple things, but the major issue was mental health. I'm always thinking about mental health, it's a complex problem, and there's no easy solution. And uh I'll continue to work on that and keep you posted. All right, thank you. Thank you, Councillor Meletis. Counselor Demas. Thank you, Your Honor. I had a busy couple weeks. Um I did send in my activity sheet, so if people want to look at it, it is on our agenda tonight. But I'll hit on about four things I did. On August 7th, I did the outlaw inns ribbon cutting. On August 11th, I did the debate up at Western Wyoming Community College. On August 15th, I did the mobile food pantry behind White Mountain Mall. And um, we really lacked volunteers this last Saturday. On August 15th, I also did the Sweetwater Downs where the chamber was invited out there, and it was a great showing. I think we had roughly about 35 of us from the city go out or town. And that's about it, Your Honor. Thank you, Councillor. Councilor Hickerson. Thank you, Your Honor. Uh this last month, I guess. After I got back from Salt Lake, I received some calls regarding the condition of the golf course. Um, a couple more on e-bikes, and then this afternoon I received a couple of calls about the rain and how it got mud in front of people's houses and such. Other than that, I attended the lodging tax um meeting yesterday, and that's about it. Thank you. Thank you, sir.
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