CITY OF BISHOP
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
AUGUST 25, 2025
1)
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Pro Tem Muchovej called the meeting of the Bishop City Council to order at 6:01 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 301 West Line Street, Bishop, California. 2)
MOMENT OF SILENCE
Mayor Pro Tem Muchovej announced a moment of silence.
3)
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilmember Freundt. 4)
ROLL CALL
PRESENT:
Councilmember Freundt
Councilmember Garcia
Councilmember Schwartz
Mayor Pro Tem Muchovej
ABSENT:
Mayor Kong
OTHERS PRESENT: Deston Dishion, City Administrator; Robin Picken, City Clerk; Dean J. Pucci, City Attorney; Ethan Aukee, Finance Director; Bret Russell, Fire Chief; Nate Derr, Police Chief; Nora Gamino, Public Works Director; Anastasiia Budnyk, Principal Planner; Dan McElroy, Community Services Manager; Gary Milici, Public Works Superintendent; and Hector Martinez, Public Works Supervisor. 5)
PUBLIC COMMENT
Public comments were made by:
Lynette McIntosh, a local resident, spoke in favor of saving the A-Frame and the entire building, requested that the structural evaluation of the A-Frame be placed on the next City Council meeting agenda in September, and that the structural evaluation also be posted on a Facebook page and that information to the public be communicated that way.
Gayla Wolf, a local resident, spoke to saving the A-Frame and its extension, and to keep it where it is located.
Noel Gabriel Guacheno, a Bishop resident, spoke in support of keeping the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau in the A-Frame where it is and her anticipation of seeing the engineering inspection report on the Visitor Center Building for finding solutions for repairs to the whole building including the extension built by the Lions Club.
Mark Harrison, a Bishop resident, recited a prayer.
Carl Hoelscher, a local resident, stated that he looks forward to seeing the engineering report and he believes that the building can be fixed and kept in the same location it is right now. He also stated that he hopes that the Council is more open in the future with decisions made.
Allen Berrey, who submitted a public comment via email to the City Council, respectfully submitted a suggestion to Council as to how our city might enhance the experience of summertime overnight visitors to Bishop.
No further public comments were made.
6)
DEPARTMENT REPORTS
Reports from the Fire, Police, Public Works, Community Services, Planning, and Administration Departments were given on each department’s activities including upcoming and ongoing projects.
Fire Chief Russell reported to Council on the Rosa Fire: resources sent and training received, his concern of volunteer staffing that was very thin in the past two weekends due to a social event and time of year for getting ready to start a new school year, and stressed early reporting of a fire or smoke by calling 911 is paramount to improve a Volunteer Fire Department's response time. He also reported that acquisition of "Brush 11" has been a great compliment to their department's apparatus.
Police Chief Derr reported to Council on several community updates: National Night Out with all first responders in our area to be held at Holland Park in Bishop on October 7th; and the Fall Community Citizens Academy which starts October 2 and runs through December 11, with applications being accepted starting September 1.
Public Works Director Gamino reported to Council that Well 1 is now physically disconnected since it is not used very much, Well 2 and Well 4 are currently running, and when driving into town from East Line Street you will notice speed limit signs in place. Public Works Director Gamino then encouraged everyone to stay to hear about the City's Water and Sewer Rate study to be discussed later on the agenda.
Community Services Manager McElroy reported to Council on the adult softball league winners, soccer is up and running, preparing for the upcoming Hispanic Heritage Month event to be held on September 15th at the Tri-County Fairgrounds, the start of gymnastics fall session, the After School Program is using a new app called "Brightwheel" to assist with communications with parents, Park staff is preparing for Art in the Park, and the Parks and Recreation Commission is meeting on Wednesday, August 27 to hear a summer recap by Aquatics Coordinator Danica Gomez and Recreation Coordinator Nancy Gonzalez.
Principal Planner Budnyk reported to Council on the housing study which recently wrapped up last week and that the consultants are scheduled to provide the Council with a presentation on their findings at the October 27, 2025 City Council meeting, and also reported that this is the last week for the City's parking study and encouraged all to complete this important survey.
City Administrator Dishion reported to Council on the structural engineer assessment conducted last Tuesday, August 19, and that it is expected to take approximately 2-6 weeks to receive a report on the assessment at which time the next set of costs and permitting can be looked at. City Administrator Dishion advised Council that he will be reaching out to them on scheduling meetings with our new City Administrator Pamela Foster who starts on September 2, 2025, and announced that he will be meeting tomorrow with Aubrey Anthony who is the Governor's Deputy Director of Appointments in order to discuss why the Tri-County Fairgrounds Board of Directors is still four seats short. City Administrator Dishion also reported that the Parking Enforcement Officer Job Description is still being worked on and will be brought to Council for approval once it is ready. 7)
CONSENT CALENDAR
7.A)
City Council Meeting Minutes
Minutes 2025 07 14 - Special Meeting
Minutes 2025 07 28
7.B)
Consider Approval of Updated Agreement with Rojas Public Affairs Cover Page
UPDATED_BIshop_RPA State Advocacy Proposal 2025_2026
7.C)
Full-Time Salary Schedule - July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 2025-2026 Full Time Salary Schedule
7.D)
Personnel Status Change Report - October 28, 2024
PERSONNEL STATUS CHANGE REPORT.8.25.25
No public comments were made.
Motion/Councilmember Garcia
Seconded/Councilmember Schwartz
Councilmember Garcia made a motion to approve the Consent Calendar.
Motion passed 4-0
Ayes: Councilmember Freundt, Councilmember Garcia, Councilmember Schwartz, Mayor Pro Tem Muchovej Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: Mayor Kong
8)
NEW BUSINESS
8.A)
Planning Commission Appointment Recommendations
Cover Page
Principal Planner Budnyk reviewed this item with Council.
Council Members that were on the interview committee spoke to the difficulty of coming up with two recommended appointments, since all applicants were well qualified and motivated to serve on the City of Bishop Planning Commission.
Motion/Councilmember Garcia
Seconded/Mayor Pro Tem Muchovej
Councilmember Garcia made a motion to approve the reappointment of Patricia Lew to a new four-year term ending August 25, 2029 on the Planning Commission and to appoint Casey Stroud to a four-year term ending August 25, 2029 on the Planning Commission.
Motion passed 4-0
Ayes: Councilmember Freundt, Councilmember Garcia, Councilmember Schwartz, Mayor Pro Tem Muchovej Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: Mayor Kong
8.B)
LS-1 Option E Streetlight Conversion Agreement with Southern California Edison Cover Page
1 AB719 LS-1 Option E Agreement_Redacted
LS-1 Lights Map
LS-1 Option E Closure Deck
Public Works Director Gamino reviewed this item with Council.
After a thorough discussion on Council's concerns for the city's residents and businesses, the Council came to a consensus to move forward on the agreement and asked staff to bring back further information at a future meeting in order for Council to select the City’s preferred light color temperature.
No public comments were made.
Motion/Councilmember Schwartz
Seconded/Councilmember Freundt
Councilmember Schwartz made a motion to approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute the Schedule LS-1 Option E Energy Efficiency LED Fixture Replacement Rate Agreement with Southern California Edison (SCE) to convert SCE-owned high-pressure sodium vapor (HPSV) streetlights in the City of Bishop to LED fixtures; and asked staff to bring back further information at a future meeting for their consideration in order to direct staff on the City's selected light color temperature.
Motion passed 4-0
Ayes: Councilmember Freundt, Councilmember Garcia, Councilmember Schwartz, Mayor Pro Tem Muchovej Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: Mayor Kong
8.C)
Introduction to Water and Sewer Rate Study and Capital Improvement Plans Cover Page
Introduction to Water and Sewer Rate Study and Capital Improvement Plans Presentation Public Works Director Gamino reviewed this item with Council and introduced Lechowicz and Tseng Municipal Consultants Project Manager Alison Lechowicz to Council.
Alison Lechowicz reviewed the attached Water and Sewer Rate Study and Capital Improvement Plans presentation with Council. Public Works Director Gamino, Finance Director Aukee, and Consultant Alison Lechowicz were present and addressed all of Council's questions.
Public comments were made by:
Dustin Delguidice, a local business owner, stated that he is concerned about commercial rates and asked for clarification on whether the rates being discussed are just residential. Consultant Alison Lechowicz clarified that the rates given would be for all rate payers, both commercial and residential.
Hector Martinez, a local resident, spoke in support of not paying any interest. He expressed that there may be "sticker shock" at first, but at the end of the day it is a win-win.
No further public comments were made.
After further discussion, Council expressed their commitment to funding the full Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), avoiding multiple rates in a single year, and would like to discuss loan or no loan options further at their September 22, 2025 regularly scheduled meeting.
Consultant Lechowicz confirmed Council's request and stated that Lechowicz and Tseng Municipal Consultants will reconfigure the numbers, crunch through the data from the County, and present more solid impacts for a range of customers, not just single-family residential customers, for their review and consideration at their September 22, 2025 Council meeting. 9)
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Councilmember Freundt, with consensus from Council, asked that Rojas Communications Group provide Council with a presentation on their 6 months-12 month goals for the City at a future meeting.
Councilmember Schwartz, with consensus from Council, asked to discuss the Elms Hotel project, and a discussion on Field 6 and field maintenance at a future meeting.
No further requests were made for future agendas items. 10)
COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
Council Members reported on meetings that they attended. 11)
ADJOURNMENT
The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 8:15 p.m. to the City Council Meeting scheduled for Monday, September 8, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. ______________________________________
Karen Kong, Mayor
Attest: ______________________________
Robin Picken, City Clerk