Tyler’s City Council Briefing: April 13, 2026 – CALTRANS PROPOSAL PUSHBACK, BUHS STUDENT SENATE REPORT, AND MORE

BISHOP, California –

The Bishop City Council met Monday evening, April 13, 2026, in the Carl Lind Board Room at Bishop Union High School instead of the usual City Hall chambers on West Line Street. With Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Freundt absent, only four councilmembers were present for the meeting, which ran from 6:00 p.m. until about 8:42 p.m. The session kicked off with the Call to Order, a Moment of Silence, the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mayor Stephen Muchovej, and Roll Call. Public comment on non-agenda items followed, then the council moved into presentations and reports.

Strong Pushback on Caltrans Bike Lane Proposal

The biggest topic of the night was Item 6A — a presentation from Caltrans District 9 Project Manager Jeremy Miloš on the Bishop Pavement Project along U.S. 395 (South Main Street). The proposal includes removing parking in certain sections to make room for new bike lanes. Lifelong Bishop resident Elaine Kabala sent a detailed email to the council opposing the plan. She pointed out that stripping away parking goes against the City of Bishop’s own policies for enhancing the downtown environment and slowing traffic on South Main. Without parked cars acting as a buffer, she argued, vehicles could speed up through the area, creating more problems for the downtown corridor. Public comment was packed and overwhelmingly against the idea. Business owners and residents lined up to speak, including:

• Lynne Almeida of Spellbinder Books

• Robin Bolser of Great Basin Bakery

• Tawni Thomson, Executive Director of the Bishop Chamber of Commerce (who recently helped secure a new building for the Visitors Center in that area)

• Stan Smith (property owner and PVA Real Estate)

• Randy Gillespie (property owner)

• Aaron Jahn of Perry Motors

• And many other concerned citizens

Even Inyo County Supervisor Jeff Griffiths spoke during public comment as a citizen of Bishop. Speakers warned that losing parking would hurt local businesses, reduce foot traffic, and make it harder for customers to stop and shop. A couple of residents (about two or three) spoke in favor of more bike infrastructure, though even some of them admitted they probably wouldn’t use the new lanes much in that part of town. Overall, the room felt heavily tilted toward opposition.

Miloš explained that the changes align with the city’s long-term goals for better biking options and said he hadn’t expected quite this level of backlash. During council discussion, Mayor Muchovej — who bikes regularly himself — said the trade-off didn’t make sense given how much parking would be lost. Councilmember Karen Kong strongly defended parking on the south end of town, calling the proposal a surprise. Councilmembers Jose Garcia and Karen Schwartz also raised concerns and asked about speed reduction measures.

Garcia suggested speed bumps, while Schwartz floated the idea of narrowing the road to two lanes (one each direction) to keep parking and add bike space. Miloš quickly pushed back on both ideas, saying speed bumps weren’t feasible and a two-lane setup would create bottlenecks and worse traffic. Councilmembers pressed on enforcement questions too — if parking is removed, would CHP or Bishop police handle it? The discussion made it clear this was one of the first times many on the council had seen the specific “no parking zones” map in detail. By the end, the council appeared united in their concerns. Miloš said he would take the feedback back to his team at Caltrans.

Student Senate Report Impresses Crowd

Item 6B featured a sharp, well-produced report from Bishop Union High School Student Senate representatives. The students highlighted positive developments at BUHS, including new water fountains and plans for a gardening area. The public seemed genuinely impressed by how polished and informative the presentation was.

Department Reports

Under Item 7, department heads gave their monthly updates (full reports are available on the City of Bishop website):

• Deputy Fire Chief Adam Marcellin stood in for Fire Chief Bret Russell. Adam gave a great report on the Fire Department and mentioned how they are working on the new fire truck to get it ready for use.

• Police Chief Nate Derr updated the public on new bike and e-scooter laws, among other things.

• Community Services Manager Daniel McElroy reported that Earth Day events at the park were a big success.

• Principal Planner Ana Budnyk and City Administrator Pam Foster also gave reports. Foster mentioned that the city’s new logo project is nearly complete.

County of Inyo Update

Item 8 brought Second District Supervisor Jeff Griffiths back to the podium. He updated the council on county matters, including the next Board of Supervisors meeting in Tecopa and work on federally earmarked projects. You can find out more on what the County of Inyo is doing by reading their Board Agenda, which is on the Inyo County website.

Consent Calendar Approved

Item 9 — the Consent Calendar — passed unanimously on a 4-0 vote in one motion. It included:

• A services agreement with Fire Recovery USA for 2026 inspection and emergency incident services.

• Authorization for the Bishop Police Department to purchase a TruNarc Raman Spectrometer (for safe drug identification) from the lowest bidder, Thermo Fisher Scientific, at a cost not to exceed $40,000.

• Approval to buy a 3D forensic crime scene scanner from FARO Technologies for up to $70,000.

• A revised Memorandum of Understanding with the Friends of the Eastern Sierra Community Gardens.

• Second reading and adoption of an ordinance amending Chapter 13 of the Bishop Municipal Code to expand the city’s Utility Assistance Program framework.

Utility Rate Assistance Program Moves Forward

Item 11 (following the earlier ordinance adoption) brought more discussion on the new Water and Sewer Utility Rate Assistance Program. The resolution sets up a 25% discount on monthly water and sewer charges for qualifying households, limited to 130 single-family and 15 multi-family accounts on a first-come, first-served basis.

Eligibility ties to existing state and federal income-based assistance programs, making it easier to verify without the city doing its own income checks. The program will be funded through non-rate sources like General Fund transfers to stay compliant with Proposition 218 rules. Current senior discount participants will transition in for the first year. After discussion, the council approved the resolution establishing the program (effective July 1, 2026) on a 4-0 vote.

Looking Ahead

Under future agenda items, Councilmember Jose Garcia asked Police Chief Nate Derr to eventually present a report on the Flock camera system and how the data is used. Other council members didn’t add much more. The council also touched on progress with various committees before adjourning at 8:42 p.m. The next regular City Council meeting is set for Monday, April 27, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. back in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. If you have any questions or comments, you can always reach out to me at [email protected]