[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6328626,"mediaKeyId","2318534-f1b45d494e340887b2cdf94c06863886","parentId",2318534,"title","Rock Springs leaders press federal abandoned‑mine program as Bitter Creek flood mitigation stalls","audioSeconds",2857,"startMs",3973000,"endMs",6830000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2318534-f1b45d494e340887b2cdf94c06863886&start=3973&end=6830","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2318534-f1b45d494e340887b2cdf94c06863886/thumbnail_3973000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6328626/Wyoming/Rock-Springs-leaders-press-federal-abandonedmine-program-as-Bitter-Creek-flood-mitigation-stalls","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328626-4d954d20a27be9c95b6e26052f739785/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148164&Signature=oOMrfL2xOn-cYWgNXpdRhq-Ci7SQclKQ8PrnDkeorz45Dc2ldb8MucPw27LuRu30DuTaSpQPp~MlfJ0KO8AhNfereXmc6VfZfdL5~BbJbQ93I~4Vnh-rgD8olwRjhH7ptF9gynVl6-sOMf1zxr6N~ksslGp5lzZ6cC8uQ2WcfLSKNEChbC2OTEpymoLwdq8xiMjK7iPqCqTA8TBG~WWIWRhi0H5pHcMR2sg~cF192jOrUyQenRBscRTAMCuF2j0nh17WYrRCoLa0pviOzQQiw0vpQCafG008O1DcebHs99UMN-RLbH8cN1qYcIXC3zAiUOORc~nUFsz-D-jX6tEtKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Rock Springs WY","date","2025-02-15T19:14:14Z","article","Mayor Mickelson described Bitter Creek flood mitigation and said federal Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) officials have determined the work is not their responsibility, leaving the city to manage a large, unresolved flood mitigation project. “Basically, at this point, they have determined that the Bitter Creek is not their problem. And so it has become our problem,” the mayor said.

Why it matters: The Bitter Creek corridor affects downtown neighborhoods and property values; without mitigation the city remains in a floodplain and faces deferred maintenance and redevelopment limits. Speakers said roughly $90–100 million is needed to finish mitigation and remove the area from the floodplain.

AML funding history and local frustration: Officials noted AML previously provided a one‑time distribution (about $4 million) for an early phase of work near a commercial area; subsequent AML decisions left the city without what local leaders consider an appropriate federal partner for the remaining work. The mayor and commissioners said they have lobbied for state help and for clearer AML application processes.

Urban renewal and downtown revitalization: Maria Mortensen, chair of Rock Springs Main Street URA, summarized two decades of downtown investment through facade grants, small-business support and public events, and warned that unresolved floodplain and vacant properties on the east side risk reversing those gains. Mortensen asked city and county officials to consider the long-term costs of leaving parts of downtown undeveloped.

Ending: City leaders said they will continue to press state and federal partners for funding and legal clarification on AML eligibility and urged residents and stakeholders to remain engaged in downtown planning and URA activities.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Rock Springs Town Hall February 15, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City leaders said Abandoned Mine Lands officials have declined responsibility for a section of Bitter Creek flood mitigation, leaving Rock Springs to seek roughly $90–100 million to finish work that would remove properties from the floodplain.","taxTitle","Rock Springs City Council, Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, Wyoming","taxId",68758,"location","Wyoming","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6328630,"Rock Springs officials weigh demolishing Civic Center after architects estimate $30–35M plus foundation work",6308,502000,6810000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2318534-f1b45d494e340887b2cdf94c06863886&start=502&end=6810","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2318534-f1b45d494e340887b2cdf94c06863886/thumbnail_502000.jpg","/articles/6328630/Wyoming/Rock-Springs-officials-weigh-demolishing-Civic-Center-after-architects-estimate-3035M-plus-foundation-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328630-b397ca69ad4f0323d031a889fede6be4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148164&Signature=Z7iUrVOclQ-3M5c4MBQP-eWwAqjiowB08uAC2wCwDVwC6tSLEasfHVq9cxQISyg2YzLXPVrGX2oGJdgev~a2kEzxVdg72tHP6NQgGeP8GzZAxwkqT5K4x7XDCpJE~BY8dcBOTfTxUqtv8kvgOI2Y1i-FlVVa6DBg7lYHHx5rV4Zq~U2JFqPO9fYkzqb-qS5E9gxnml4mrER2mj6Vjd-YiQN4pP9VAHTlMqzSZX07PH91qHjtks-CvfuWVFRm~CX46nJa9YCXfS9PKxKA9XSRVbL9uoqgYd5W-eF7kaPJOj567ktcDhbP8xctpQ1LAE4ZtmFkgvSJh~JDErrTfxQ6cA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Mickelson summarized assessments of the Civic Center and other city facilities and asked residents to prioritize which services to preserve if revenue tightens. “We had architects go through and do an assessment, and they said with their best estimate, 30 to $35,000,000 needs to be put into it to bring it up to modern standards, and then another 15 to 20,000,000 to deal with the foundation issues,” the mayor said.

Why it matters: The Civic Center and the family recreation center are significant capital assets. The mayor said the cheapest long-term path to preserve a community events facility could be to tear down and rebuild rather than spend tens of millions on retrofit and foundation repair. Officials framed the discussion as a triage of priorities: streets, police and fire first, then other amenities.

Service and maintenance details: City staff and the mayor described deferred maintenance across facilities: failing roofs, duct-taped sewer lines at some buildings, and costly specialised repairs — repainting some metal surfaces was estimated at $250,000. The mayor said staffing and operational choices also affect costs; for instance, longer plowing hours are expensive, and changing plow schedules could reduce costs but also change service levels.

Rec center capacity and overflow: Public commenters raised concerns about capacity if the Civic Center were closed. The mayor said the recreation center has underused space and that architects are being asked to evaluate reconfiguration and accessibility upgrades so the rec center could absorb some Civic Center programming. “The bigger issue in terms of if we close the civic center is modifying the entrances to the rec center so that it is more accessible because the people who primarily use the Civic are elderly and have mobility limitations,” the mayor said.

Revenue transparency and public oversight: Several residents urged better public access to line-by-line budget information for city facilities. In response, the city said it will publish facility revenue-and-cost breakdowns and an annual report with those figures.

Community programs and downtown investment: Maria Mortensen, chair of the Rock Springs Main Street Urban Renewal Agency (URA), described 15 years of volunteer-led downtown revitalization, grants for facade improvements, public events and small-business support. Mortensen warned that continued loss of downtown activity and unresolved floodplain issues on the east side — including a vacant church and other shuttered buildings — risk “leaving the east side of our town... to rot.”

Ending: City leaders asked residents to submit budget feedback and attend council budget workshops. Officials emphasized that budgets require trade-offs and invited the public to weigh which services they value most.","City leaders told residents architects estimated $30–35 million in upgrades and another $15–20 million for foundation work at the Civic Center, prompting discussion of demolition and reallocation of funds to core services and maintenance.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6328636,"Wyoming property-tax proposals force Rock Springs leaders to weigh cuts, backfill and special-district risk",3431,69000,3500000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2318534-f1b45d494e340887b2cdf94c06863886&start=69&end=3500","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2318534-f1b45d494e340887b2cdf94c06863886/thumbnail_69000.jpg","/articles/6328636/Wyoming/Wyoming-property-tax-proposals-force-Rock-Springs-leaders-to-weigh-cuts-backfill-and-special-district-risk","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328636-0ca668cba645270a4a89c23f315d3ab9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148164&Signature=npKKjYEpmYO0amTmvEgen-wPrJOJ2cz4ogOJuW1ZvYQ5w94tW72GnIFUbNqQd7XLStE1LcuUczIoa2KZpaauY-k0OV1kqdMPAg9cdQdwPkUz6lU2NlOoDDlPwE3l2wBN5C4BWeV45yZT7s8cszjict04J0x1I9n7PA9Gt3MQ2pi6ag~lK3AeYrydJQudOU5bnH9zbzyOOsID2JewJWczG-fHrngAMTNGy7K3~LHWcJGzyEPWn9nt7F7YmRXNbu4g5NGq~Uy8n9JQWEX~Xp-ckQaRua~Cw-sdOmT777DZSuXGRKFezKKbLqCPsX9Kbn~SqqT4pYCGLgtc3O6QFsC6rg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Mickelson said Rock Springs is already seeing a reduction in projected revenue after recent legislative changes, calling the current local gap “about 160,000 reduction,” and warned residents the city has operated with a structural deficit for years.

The mayor and visiting state legislators and county officials used a Saturday public workshop to explain how competing bills and ballot initiatives in Cheyenne could affect local services, and to urge residents to weigh trade-offs between tax relief and service levels. “Property taxes are mostly paid to the county's special districts and schools,” Senator Laura Pearson told the audience, and she described how bills moving through the legislature differ on whether state backfill would reimburse local governments.

Why it matters: Several legislative paths could change how much local governments collect and what state government will backfill. That matters for fire, hospital and senior districts that rely on property tax revenue to deliver services; county officials warned loss of funds could force cuts.

State bill details and local effects: Senator Laura Pearson (Senate District 14) explained two measures the meeting was tracking. HB 169, as described at the workshop, would provide a 50% exemption on the first $1,000,000 of residential property value for tax years 2025–26 and include $225 million in backfill (from the general fund and the legislative stabilization account). By contrast, SF 69 passed the Senate with no backfill and was being considered in the House; Pearson said SF 69 “passed with no backfill at this time.” She also described a sunset in 2026 tied to a separate voters’ initiative that could permanently change state law if approved.

Representative JT Larson and other House members said the bills have been amended repeatedly on the floor. Larson summarized a working compromise: instead of 50% across-the-board, the reduction was being retooled to cover only the increase in a property’s tax bill since a baseline year, or to use a multi‑year average to determine jurisdictional relief. Larson said legislators were working through a large number of amendments over the weekend to resolve equitable application and timing.

Local clarifications from the assessor: Sweetwater County Assessor Dave Divas told residents: “Not 1 penny of your property tax dollars goes to the state.” Divas reviewed recent, enacted relief: a 4% cap on improvement value (structures) for tax year 2024 and a 4% cap on land value for tax year 2025. He also described the newly expanded long-term homeowners exemption — available to homeowners 65 and older who have paid Wyoming property taxes for 25 years — and urged eligible residents to apply.

County perspective: Keaton West, chair of the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners, said earlier versions of the bills would have produced far larger revenue losses for the county; with amendments, the county’s share of lost revenue is now smaller. West said the county had reduced staff and absorbed past cuts, but warned that persistent reductions could force service cuts long term.

Public and next steps: City leaders encouraged residents to review the city budget, use feedback forms and contact legislators. Officials repeatedly emphasized that many bill provisions remained in flux: Laura Pearson said, “we're gonna have to see how all of these things play out.” The city said it will post explanatory materials and breakdowns of municipal revenue and facility costs online.

Ending: Officials said the final mix of legislation and any voter initiative will determine how much relief property owners receive and how much of the state’s reserves or rainy-day funds will be used to backfill local budgets. For now, Rock Springs leaders urged residents to stay informed and participate in the city’s budget workshops.","State proposals to reduce property taxes have been amended, but uncertainty over backfill and special-district funding left Rock Springs officials and county leaders warning of local budget pressure and possible service cuts.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Rock Springs leaders press federal abandoned‑mine program as Bitter Creek flood mitigation stalls

Rock Springs officials weigh demolishing Civic Center after architects estimate $30–35M plus foundation work

Wyoming property-tax proposals force Rock Springs leaders to weigh cuts, backfill and special-district risk