ROCK SPRINGS — The Rock Springs City Council opted to table an ordinance that would have given Council members a $200 per month raise, with the ordinance now on track for being killed if it remains tabled.

Councilman David Thompson motioned to table the ordinance, saying he doesn’t think it is proper for the Council to discuss giving itself a raise after health insurance premiums increased for city employees. The Council approved the ordinance being tabled, with Councilman Rick Milonas voting against the measure. If it remains tabled during the next two meetings, it will die.

The discussion about the ordinance started with a question as to why the Council is looking at it in the first place.

“After we just cut our little bonus thing out, why would we even consider this, what was the drive behind it,” Councilman Larry Hickerson asked.

Mayor Max Mickelson said he placed it on the agenda after Councilman Rick Milonas expressed concerns the compensation reduction made it less appealing for residents to seek election to the Council. Hickerson’s question references a cash payout available to the Council that was previously ended by the Council in September. Mickelson said he thought it would be something Milonas could speak to the rest of the Council about, saying he believes it’s important to consider everyone’s perspective.

Milonas questioned the idea of calling it a raise when the Council already eliminated compensation they were receiving and alleged the ordinance would bring Council members back to what they were making before. Mickelson said the amount of money reduced in the Council members’ bank statements was roughly $53 a month, while the ordinance would have increased the base salary by $200 per month. After payments made into the Wyoming Retirement System, Council members would expect to see approximately $150 additional dollars per month. 

Council members earn $12,000 a year for their work. The original ordinance had an error in the text citing the Council representatives hadn’t received a raise in 34 years. Mickelson said the last raise the Council received was 12 years ago.

Council Ethics Policy

An ordinance establishing an ethics policy for the Council made it through its first reading. Mickelson said an ethics policy had been suggested periodically over the years by staff. He cited a recent discussion conducted by the Wyoming Association of Municipalities regarding ethics codes, with the takeaway being it is unusual for cities not to have a code of ethics.

“It became apparent that it would be helpful if we had a code of ethics that we have all discussed and agreed upon collectively to abide by,” Mickelson said.