ROCK SPRINGS — Mayor Max Mickelson would like to focus on improving partnerships and collaborations and creating a tool to better communicate with Rock Springs residents during his first year in office.

During the Rock Springs Chamber luncheon today, Rock Springs Mayor Mickelson gave his first State of the City address at the Western Wyoming Community College Atrium. Mickelson asked longtime Rock Springs City Councilor Rob Zotti to accompany him during the address and add anything he may have left out.

“We can’t look to the future without understanding our past. Over the last 135 years, our city has grown, floundered, exploded, and shrunk. We have come together to support each other and been at each other’s throats. We have never been weak,” Mayor Mickelson said. “We have grown together and contributed disproportionately to the success of our great State of Wyoming.”

Mayor Mickelson spoke on how Rock Springs was founded to extract coal and feed Union Pacific railroad and that helped the city grow despite the challenging environment. This brought people from every corner of the earth together to create Rock Springs and “the Home of 56 Nationalities.”

As the war on mineral and energy industries continues, so will the need for the community to change and become more innovative.

“As our community is tested by these monumental changes, so is our city government,” Mickelson said. “The test of effective city government is not simply in our city’s survival, it rests in strengthening our city and improving people’s lives.”

As for the budget, the current revenue projection is strong and sales and use taxes are up, however, the city has been facing aging infrastructure issues for years and Mickelson said it’s time to address those.

“Over the years, with our revenue fluctuations, past mayors and councils have rightly opted to prioritize employees over maintenance when funds were tight,” Mayor Mickelson said. “We are reaching a place where that deferment is no longer feasible.”

Mickelson said the city will need to create a plan to address long-term issues, but he has two goals he would like to focus on for his first year in office.

Mickelson’s two goals:

1. We will grow our partnerships and our collaboration:
   1. With our governmental partners at the state, our county, the City of Green River, and the 17 additional towns and communities that make up our county.
   2. With our agency partners like the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition, Sweetwater Events Complex, the Urban Renewal Association, Sweetwater Tourism, and many others.
   3. With our community partners like Sweetwater County School District No. 1, Western Wyoming Community College, Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, and Aspen Medical Center.
   4. With our business and industry partners large and small.
   5. And most importantly, with the residents of the City of Rock Springs.
2. We will institute a tool to go beyond communication to conversation with the citizens of our city.
   1. A tool to communicate priorities.
   2. To receive feedback.
   3. To report progress on specific goals set by my office and your city council.

Mickelson ended his State of the City address by referencing the Code of the West and what it means to him.

“I can tell you with no reservation, the Code of the West is about coming together to work, to support, and to thrive as neighbors,” Mayor Mickelson said. “When I look at Rock Springs, I am confident that spirit survives and our city will continue to turn challenges into opportunities.”

After Mayor Mickelson’s address, Councilor Zotti said that even though the current revenue projections are looking good right now, that doesn’t mean that is how they are going to stay. He added that the city is looking at “priority budgeting” for each department to get a better idea of what are the critical needs for each department. He said this way of budgeting will also provide more transparency on what city funding is being spent on.

Zotti said the Council as a whole may not agree on everything, but they have a common goal of making the city a better place for Rock Springs residents to live.

To review the State of the City address in it’s entirety, see the document below.