ROCK SPRINGS — During the Rock Springs City Council meeting tonight, Mayor Max Mickelson addressed the letter former Rock Springs Mayor Tim Kaumo wrote requesting the City of Rock Springs investigate Councilman Rob Zotti’s actions in regards to the Bitter Creek Restoration Project’s bidding process.
In the letter to the Council, Kaumo also asked the Council to remove Zotti from the Council due to his alleged misconduct throughout the bidding process of this project while on the Council.
At the August 1 meeting, the Council recognized and accepted the letter during the consent agenda portion of the meeting, however no discussion took place in regards the letter or whether the City of Rock Springs was going to honor the request.
However, at tonight’s meeting, Mayor Mickelson said he spoke with Tucker Ruby, Johnson County and Prosecuting Attorney, who not only was assigned to the Kaumo case, but reviewed all of the documents in regards to the project including Councilman Zotti’s involvement.
“I asked for an opinion on the letter and Mr. Ruby was explicitly clear that no City member of the Council at that time broke the law,” Mickelson said.
“From the city’s perspective the issue is closed and resolved. What Mr. Kaumo chooses to do with that is his own business,” Mickelson said.
“The accusations stated in Tim Kaumo’s letter were first made during the initial investigation that was conducted by DCI and the FBI. The findings of this investigation were then reviewed by the prosecuting attorney and it was found that I did nothing wrong,” Zotti told SweetwaterNOW when the letter was placed on the Council agenda.
With the letter officially being addressed, the City Council would like to continue moving forward.
To review the entire letter, see the document below.
Other Business
The Wyoming Department of Health is offering to pay the City of Rock Springs $80,000 for the collection and testing of well-mixed untreated wastewater samples to help facilitate a wide-scale epidemiological surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The Council decided to enter into the agreement.
The Council approved a request from Encore Cinemas, Inc., doing business as Star Stadium Theater, to move their alcohol dispensing area to another location.
Council also approved an agreement between D.A. Clark Sculpture, LLC and the City of Rock Springs for the purchase of a $154,000 bronze sculpture entitled “Requiem,” which will commemorate the Chinese Massacre of September 2, 1885.
A request from the Engineering/Operations and Public Services Department for permission to apply for a $320,000 Department of Transportation Rural and Tribal Technical Assistance grant was also approved.
