”I don’t even look at them” — Rock Springs City Councilman condemns new logo, bills and claims
ROCK SPRINGS — Without an explanation, an elected official continues to oppose bills and claims during council meetings.
He also recently confessed to not doing his homework. Councilor Rick Milonas admitted during the Rock Springs City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 7, he does not read the bills and claims to which he continues to vote against.
The Rock Springs City Council receives the bills and claims before the meetings. Milonas voted against paying the city’s bills and claims several times, offering no explanation as to which ones he objects to.
Before the official vote, Councilor Larry Hickerson asked Milonas if he was planning to vote against bills and claims again. Hickerson also asked Milonas to single out which bills he doesn’t approve of. Milonas refused to identify the bills he objects to.
“I don’t even look at them,” Milonas said. “There’s always some kind of waste in there.”
Mayor Max Mickelson asked Milonas if a recess is needed to go over the bills and identify the waste Milonas mentioned.
“If there is waste that is within the bills the city is obligated to pay, then it’s in the interest of this body and of the public to be aware of them,” Mickelson said.
Milonas declined the recess, saying he talked to Mickelson before and was told the city was “within budget and would keep moving forward.”
“So, you don’t want a recess?” Mickelson asked.
Milonas still did not identify what he objected to, saying the bills would get paid anyway.
“I’ll just say no,” Milonas said.
The bills and claims passed with Milonas voting against it. The bills and claims can be found on the city’s website.
Matt McBurnett, director of Administrative Services, said under Wyoming State Statute § 15-1-125, all claims against a city or town must be audited and approved by the governing body before payment is authorized.
The statute also states “the governing body has a fiduciary responsibility for reviewing and approving these claims prior to payment.”
“In addition, the City of Rock Springs Code of Ordinances, specifically Section 31.02 — Order of Business, outlines the procedural requirement that bills and claims be presented to the city council for approval during regular meetings,” McBurnett said. “While departments are authorized to make purchases within defined parameters, all bills and claims must still be submitted to the council for formal approval.
“This ensures that all expenditures are publicly recorded and subject to council oversight.”
McBurnett noted council members may ask questions about specific bills, request supporting documentation, or move to separate items for discussion. They may also abstain from voting under certain conditions. According to Robert’s Rules of Order, abstentions are appropriate when a member has a conflict of interest, lacks sufficient information, or has legal or ethical concerns related to the vote.
McBurnett added that while council members who vote on bills and claims are expected to do so based on informed review, voting “no” without reviewing the claims is legally permissible but it may raise questions about the basis for the vote.
“The statutory and local policy requirements are designed to ensure transparency, accountability, and responsible oversight of public funds,” he said.
The new logo
During council updates, Milonas spoke out about the new city logo.
“What’s it going to cost us to do this new logo all over?” Milonas asked. “What does it even represent and what gives you the authority to do this?”
In a video on social media, Milonas spoke about Mickelson “abusing” his power to change the city logo to “some ugly, woke, rainbow-colored joke.”
“You did this all on your own,” Milonas told Mickelson in the June 11 video.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Mickelson told Milonas a resident had pointed out the need for a new logo. The resident thought it should match the rest of the new logos around town, and a committee of councilors were involved in the process.
Milonas asked about when the councilors met to discuss the new logo. Mickelson said the information was already provided to him, and the conversation about the logo is over. Milonas rolled his eyes as he sat back and chuckled.
“Chuckling is not a professional or appropriate reaction,” Mickelson told Milonas.
“You’re not professional, Mayor,” Milonas said as he took his belongings off the table and left city chambers before Mickelson adjourned the meeting.
Mickelson shared the steps the city took to change the logo with the Rocket Miner.
According to Mickelson, Jenissa Meredith approached him regarding their wayfinder signs program in the fall of 2023. Meredith is the executive director of Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism.
“She wanted to work with the city on aligning the color scheme,” Mickelson said, adding Meredith recommended the city works with their marketing consultant. “We entered into a service contract with him.”
Mickelson convened a working subcommittee of council members to review the consultant’s ideas.
“I believe the cost for his services was $2,980.00,” Mickelson said. “Ultimately, the subcommittee, consisting of Rob Zotti, Jeannie Demas, and myself, chose not to use any of his designs. However, we did like the color selection.
“The colors are meant to represent a bold, strong, clean future.”
In early 2024, Chad Banks, manager of the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency, designed a new logo for Downtown Rock Springs. He used the colors selected by the subcommittee. The logo represents a cityscape.
“The subcommittee felt it was a great representation of our city,” Mickelson said. “We have amazing natural resources all around us, but our focus is on our city.”
Mickelson asked Banks if he would allow the city to use his design as their new city logo, and he consented.
Mickelson said the city has been slowly phasing in the new logo as old logos wear out and need to be replaced.
“By approaching it this way, we are updating our logo without adding a new cost to the taxpayers,” he said. “The one exception to this is our council chamber. The city moved forward with installing the new logo in our council chambers after meeting with a constituent on another matter.”
The constituent expressed frustration that the city had not updated it from their old logo. Mickelson said the city used their own equipment to create the signs with the new logo.
“The signs were created using city printers, and the work was done by city staff keeping the costs minimal,” he said.
Rock Springs has had five logos since the early 1980s, according to Mickelson.
“Refreshing it shows we are a dynamic and growing community that cares enough to invest in our own community. Though this approach will take time to result in a total update, it is just a logo, so there is no pressure to change it all at once,” he said. “It won’t make or break us.
“The citizens of Rock Springs are the best representation of who we are as a community, and that is timeless.”
This story was published on Oct. 11, 2025.