Tuesday, January 27, 2026 |
Photo – Rawlins City Manager Matthew Hall – Courtesy City of Rawlins
A former Cody mayor has accepted the Rawlins City Manager position.
After roughly two and a half months on the job, Matthew J Hall has formally accepted the role of City Manager of Rawlins.
Of the ten incorporated municipalities in Carbon County, Rawlins is the only one operating under a City Manager form of government. Unlike the traditional mayor‑and‑council system, the Rawlins City Council sets policy and appoints a City Manager to carry out its decisions. The City Manager oversees budgeting, staffing, infrastructure, and the day‑to‑day operations of the city.
Last August, while then–City Manager Tom Sarvey was on an extended leave for an undisclosed medical condition, the governing body voted to appoint District 15 representative and Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Pam Thayer to serve as Acting City Manager until Sarvey could return. However, Thayer’s professional commitments made her unable to commit to the role and, one week later, Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward was chosen as Sarvey’s temporary replacement.
Chief Ward served as Interim City Manager for roughly one month before the Rawlins City Council voted to authorize Mayor Jacquelin Wells to enter into a contract with an Interim City Manager candidate. At the time, the candidate’s name was not publicly revealed.
During the October 7th Rawlins City Council meeting, Mayor Jacquelin Wells announced the city’s intention to appoint Matthew J Hall as Interim City Manager. Vice Mayor Darril Garner moved to approve the measure.
Hall previously served two consecutive terms as mayor of Cody, Wyoming, from 2017 to 2024, and was also president of the Wyoming Association of Municipalities.
According to his biography, Hall’s family moved to Cody in 1978 to start Caleco Foundry, a bronze art business still in operation today. After a stint as a golf pro in Arizona, Hall returned to Cody in the early 2000s, where he worked for Wyoming Financial before rejoining his family’s business. Since leaving the mayor’s office in 2024, Hall continued to serve on the Cody Chamber of Commerce board and the Forward Cody economic development board, while also working for a local real estate company.
On November 4th, approximately one month into Hall’s time as Interim City Manager, Vice Mayor Darril Garner motioned to remove City Manager Tom Sarvey from his position.
According to documents provided by the city, Sarvey’s authorized absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act ended on October 27th. Because he remained unable to perform the duties of the position, Resolution 11A‑2025 states that “the Council finds that termination of the Employment Contract is warranted and in the best interest of the City, its operations, and the public.”
Hall continued to serve as Interim City Manager until the January 6th Rawlins City Council meeting, where he was offered the permanent position. He had two weeks to consider the offer. On January 20th, Mayor Wells moved to approve Resolution 1C‑2026, appointing Matthew J. Hall as City Manager.
The City Council unanimously approved the employment agreement. Following the vote, Councilman Steve Sanger moved to authorize Mayor Wells to sign an employment contract setting Hall’s official start date as February 1st. After another round of voting, the governing body unanimously approved the motion, appointing Matthew J. Hall as the new City Manager.
