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Rock Springs council amends ordinance to delay council pay changes after debate
Summary
At its Aug. 19 meeting the Rock Springs City Council approved an amendment to Ordinance 2025-09 making any change to council salary or benefits effective at the end of each member’s current term; the amendment passed with one dissent amid an exchange over the size of the cut.
The Rock Springs City Council on Aug. 19 amended Ordinance 2025-09 to specify that any change in council salary or benefits becomes effective at the conclusion of the current term for each member.
Councilor Bingham moved the amendment and Councilor Thompson seconded; the motion carried with Councilor Milonas voting no. Mayor Max Mickelson said the amendment was intended to make compensation changes clearer to the public and noted that future ordinance language could be refined by the city attorney if Council wished.
Councilor Milonas objected, saying the change would reduce his compensation and arguing it amounted to a “20% pay cut.” Mayor Mickelson responded that the change represented a reduction of about 6% in benefit-related costs and said current members would be grandfathered until their next election. The exchange included questions about how previous compensation adjustments had been staggered and whether specific effective dates should be stated in the ordinance.
The amendment was presented during the ordinance’s second-reading process; councilors also discussed the broader intent to improve transparency around Council compensation and directed that the final ordinance language be clarified before final adoption.
The council did not record a subsequent final adoption vote on the ordinance in the meeting minutes; the amendment as approved will phase in changes by term as described on the council floor.
