CITY OF BISHOP
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 8, 2025
1)
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Kong 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 Kong announced a moment of silence.
3)
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilmember Garcia. 4)
ROLL CALL
PRESENT:
Councilmember Freundt
Councilmember Garcia
Councilmember Schwartz
Mayor Pro Tem Muchovej
Mayor Kong
ABSENT:
None.
OTHERS PRESENT: Deston Dishion, City Administrator (outgoing); Pam Foster, City Administrator (incoming); Robin Picken, City Clerk; Ryan R. Jones, Assistant City Attorney; Bret Russell, Fire Chief; Nate Derr, Police Chief; Nora Gamino, Public Works Director; Anastasiia Budnyk, Principal Planner; and Dan McElroy, Community Services Manager 5)
PUBLIC COMMENT
Public comments were made by:
Rick Klug, a local resident, wished outgoing City Administrator Deston Dishion well and welcomed incoming City Administrator Pam Foster. Rick Klug then offered a prayer for all.
Cari Arnal, a local resident, recited a prayer, spoke on behalf of herself and daughter who have seen too many students who have passed these past five years due to addictions and believes this problem should be addressed by leaders and fixing the current system. Cari Arnal then asked where will the monies that went to the A-frame from the City be diverted to? Jennifer Beaudean, a small business owner in town, requested that a discussion on the A-Frame Engineering Report be placed on the Council agenda and it would be nice if the engineer could be present as well to explain it to the public.
Noel Gabriel Guacheno, a Bishop resident, thanked Council for the engineering report and sharing it with the community, spoke to keeping the A-Frame, and asked that the A-Frame be deemed historic.
Carl Hoescher, a local resident and a past building contractor, spoke to how someone decided to get rid of the A-Frame and evict the Chamber of Commerce; received public resistance; had an engineer red tag the building; and had an engineer write an extensive report on a building built 50 years ago. Carl Hoescher, then stated that it is now incumbent on us to look at this carefully and would like to see Appendix A and B to further research the matter; and asked why after 50 years of this building standing are we now closing it? Lynette McIntosh, a local resident, concurs with Carl Hoescher's comments and requested that this building be placed on some sort of historic building society and to restore it. Lynette McIntosh questioned who would be responsible to repair and to restore the building, and requested that a discussion on the future of the A-frame be placed on an upcoming agenda.
Gayla Wolf, a local resident, expressed that all of Bishop wants the A-frame to stay in Bishop; we want it; our visitors want it. Gayla Wolf asked that we fix it and find a way to save that historical spot for the city of Bishop.
No further public comments were made.
6)
OATH OF OFFICE FOR CITY ADMINISTRATOR PAM FOSTER
City Clerk Picken administered the Oath of Office for newly appointed City Administrator Pam Foster. 7)
PRESENTATIONS
7.A)
PRESENTATION - Retirement of City Administrator Deston Dishion Cover Page
Council made presentations to Deston Dishion to honor his nearly 30 years of public service with the City of Bishop and invited everyone to take a 7-10 minute break to join Council for cake in celebration of Deston Dishion's retirement from the City of Bishop. 8)
PROCLAMATIONS
8.A)
Proclamation - Recognizing the Eastern Sierra Cancer Alliance for 25 Years of Community Service - Requested by Eastern Sierra Cancer Alliance Michelle Garcia and Barbara Laughon.
Proclamation - ESCA 2025 09 08
Council read the proclamation recognizing the Eastern Sierra Cancer Alliance for 25 years of community service and Mayor Kong presented the signed proclamation to Eastern Sierra Cancer Alliance Board Members Michelle Garcia, Barbara Laughon, and Patricia Ramirez.
Michelle Garcia thanked the Council for the proclamation and invited everyone to attend a dinner to celebrate their 25 years of service on September 27, 2025 at the Tallman Pavilion. Patricia Ramirez also thanked Council for the proclamation and briefly described her journey of starting the Eastern Sierra Cancer Alliance non-profit organization in year 2000, thanks to Avon Breast Cancer Crusade and her patients that inspired her.
Mayor Kong asked all of the Board members present to please stand so they could all be recognized. 9)
DEPARTMENT REPORTS
Reports from the Fire, Police, Public Works, Community Services, Planning, and Administration Departments were given on each department’s activities and each department head took the opportunity to say a few words of thanks to Deston Dishion to express their appreciation for his service as City Administrator.
9.A)
Fire Department Report - Fire Chief Bret Russell
Fire Department Report - August 2025
9.B)
Police Department Report - Police Chief Nate Derr
9.C)
Public Works Department Report - Public Works Director Nora Gamino Public Works Department Report - August 2025
9.D)
Community Services Department Report - Community Services Manager Daniel McElroy Community Services Department Report - August 2025
9.E)
Planning Department Report - Principal Planner Ana Budnyk Planning Department Report - August 2025
9.F)
City Administrator Report - Deston Dishion
City Administrator Report - August 2025
City Administrator Foster confirmed that Deston Dishion provided Council with the attached written report. However, she would like to report to Council that things are going great since she started, grateful for the time spent with Deston Dishion learning things, and looking forward to working with City staff. City Administrator Foster also mentioned that she has been doing a lot of listening and expects to do a lot more listening in the weeks to come and urged the Council and members of the public to reach out to her if there is something you would like to address. 10)
COUNTY OF INYO UPDATE
Second District Supervisor Griffiths first thanked Deston Dishion for his service and welcomed Pam Foster as the new City Administrator. Supervisor Griffiths then provided an update on Inyo County business and activities. 11)
CONSENT CALENDAR
11.A)
July 2025 Budget Report
Cover Page
July 2025 Budget Report
11.B)
July 2025 Financial Reports
Cover Page
July 2025 Bank Reconciliation Report
July 2025 Combined Cash Report
July 2025 Investment Portfolio Report
July 2025 Warrant Register Report
11.C)
September 13, 2025 Third Annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration Certificates of Recognition No public comments were made.
Motion/Councilmember Schwartz
Seconded/Mayor Pro Tem Muchovej
Councilmember Schwartz made a motion to approve the Consent Calendar.
Motion passed 5-0
Ayes: Councilmember Freundt, Councilmember Garcia, Councilmember Schwartz, Mayor Pro Tem Muchovej, Mayor Kong Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
12)
NEW BUSINESS
12.A)
Discussion: Studio Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Parking Requirements Cover Page
Parking for Studio ADUs
Principal Planner Budnyk reviewed this item with Council. After a thorough discussion by Council, Council directed staff to bring back an ordinance that addresses their concerns. However, Council requested that they see two proposed ordinances, one written with language that requires a parking requirement and one written with language that does not require a parking requirement for their consideration. 13)
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Councilmember Freundt, with consensus from Council, asked to bring back a discussion on approving an upgrade to the volunteer firefighters' bathroom/restrooms at Fire Station One at a future meeting. No further requests were made for future agendas items. 14)
COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
Council Members reported on meetings and community events that they attended. Mayor Kong also reported on current legislation under consideration related to trucking and will plan to request it as a future agenda item once she has draft letters to share with Council, and reminded everyone that September is Suicide Prevention Month. 15)
ADJOURNMENT
The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 8:19 p.m. to the City Council Meeting scheduled for Monday, September 22, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. ______________________________________
Karen Kong, Mayor
Attest: ______________________________
Robin Picken, City Clerk