The Bishop City Council meets Monday night to likely consolidate city elections with county elections. Officials will hold a public hearing on fees and charges, and consider the Police Chief’s request to add a new position and hire two others.
The Council has discussed and seemed to agree to move the date of the City of Bishop General Municipal Election from March of odd-numbered years to November in even-numbered years. This would mean consolidation of City and Inyo County General Elections. This issue would also go before the Inyo Supervisors. This move could save the City $17,000 per election but would shorten the terms of four officials by five months. The terms of Mayor Laura Smith, Mayor Pro Tem Dave Stottlemyre, Council Woman Susan Cullen and Treasurer Bob Kimball would shrink by five months.
For those concerned about fees and charges paid for city services, a public hearing is set to take public comment. Another public hearing will bring up the City Mobility Element of the General Plan.
Police Chief Chris Carter will ask the Council to add a new position to his department – Police Services Technician. The agenda says Chief Carter will also ask to waive the hiring freeze and fill that position from within the department. The agenda also says the Chief will ask to waive the hiring freeze to hire one full-time and one part-time Communications Operator positions.
The Council will go into closed session with the administrator to talk about labor negotiations related to the Bishop Employees Association, the Bishop Police Officers Association and management and mid-management.
The Bishop City Council meets Monday night at City Hall at 7 pm. Councilman Jim Ellis will be absent tonight as he recovers from a head injury sustained during a fishing trip.
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Native-other than insulting me and everyone else practicing their free speech here. You said nothing of substance.
There isn’t one person that has a clue of what they’re talking about here. It just shows the ignorance of people who jump to conclusions and blow it out of proportion without knowing what the facts really are. This has nothing what so ever to do with the maintenance of vehicles and that’s all I have to say. Oh and by the way JJ learn how to spell.
Ignorance? Only because we haven’t been informed of anything other then the PD wants to make a new position that WE THE TAX PAYERS WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR.
I’m sure Benett will do a good job of filling us in. ThankS for nothing native.
Wel Native, yeah your right, I will take rap for my part in this lol, I was commenting on what I got out of the story and was influenced by the previous post. I wasn’t really saying anything against it, just pointing out some facts as I saw it in regard to what I read.
Lesson learned.
yep, I swallowed that hook too.
What extra money are you speaking of?
How much does it cost to drive around this hugh city? I doubt there is any new savings here.
Benett perhaps you can inquire what the PD has paid to out source this work minus the parts which they have to purchase anyway.
I’ve seen when positions like this are created in the past within a year the person that holds the postion needs a helper.
I’m also curious what local businesses will lose income over this, while having to pay taxes to support it?
I have talked to the Police Chief and will soon post a story. The truth is very different
from the suppositions.
Benett Kessler
Yeah we will pay either way in a case like this. benefits and pitfalls for both choices, but in this case, it really comes down to what the better choice is that makes more sense. Just saying.
New’s flash Big Rick O’Brien
We don’t care how they do it in Orange County.
Start by showing us what they’ve paid over the last ten years out sourcing this work. Then show us how much the position will cost.
We’ll do our own math to see if there’s any savings.
I have a very good friend that is employed by an Orange County P.D. as a police services technician. He’s the guy who keeps all the patrol units in tip-top shape, ready to roll. If there is ANY issue with any PD vehicle, engine,tires, radio,lightbar, he makes it right. Bishop PD has probably been out-sourcing this & probably spending a fortune. Keeping it in-house will most likely save $$$ in the long run. Also, you have a POLICE employee working on POLICE cars. JUST sayin’…
They outsource so they don’t have to pay a technician (mechanic) to service and repair departmental vehicles. If you outsource a position such as this, you save on paying the wages, you save on paying benefits.
Caltrans has done this for different reasons , they do not have enough technicians (mechanics) to service and repair their vehicles because they can not get people to commit to the jobs because of the low pay offered, and the high cost of living in this area.
They outsource a lot of work that can be done in shop, if they can get people to come work for them, they wouldn’t have too.
I think that a technician promoted from within the PD would not be in the position to do all of the work on these vehicles, unless the department as a fully equipped maintenance shop for this technician (mechanic) to work on the units.
Unless they have the fully functional repair facility, they will have to outsource a good amount of the work. So that will seem to end up costing the city more than what they pay for equipment service and repair at this time.
If the PD can do this without the outsourcing, then it will be a good thing for the city. If this technician is qualified for all of the items As Big Rick lists, and they have the facility to do it.
Another point to consider, you will need more than one technician, unless they plan on paying the single technician a fair amount of overtime.
I say they go for it if they can do it right, otherwise it may end up costing more than outsourcing.
Big Rick, I highly doubt that this Tech position has anything to do with vehicle mechanics. This could never be a full time job for Bishop P.D., why would you think that you can compare the 2 agencies? Keeping things like this in house absolutely does NOT save money, especially these days, when the newer vehicles need specialized, expensive tools and equipment.
Yeah I totally misunderstood the position based on what I read, but now it makes more sense. I wasn’t really comparing, in as much as I was using the other agency to relate what another agency deals with.
I was not apposed to it, but merely pointing out both sides of the matter.
“Police Chief Chris Carter will ask the Council to add a new position to his department – Police Services Technician.”
Don’t do it Bishop.. You don’t need to pay out on anymore Public pensions and benefits.
“Just say NO”
I think any extra money should go to school programs. I think we are well protected when you look at how many police, sheriffs and Highway Patrol officers we have already.I believe our schools need to get up to date on computer technology.