A Message from the Bishop Chamber of Commerce

Re: July 28, 2025 Bishop City Council Meeting & Chamber-City Partnership

We extend a heartfelt thank you to the many community members who attended the Bishop City Council meeting on July 28, 2025, in support of the Bishop Chamber of Commerce and the A-Frame building that currently houses the Bishop Information Center and our staff offices. We also sincerely thank Mayor Kong and the City Councilmembers for listening to the public comments.

At the close of the public comment period, Councilmember Muchovej requested clarification regarding the City of Bishop’s current support for the Bishop Chamber of Commerce.

For those that were not able to attend the meeting in person or virtually, the recording is available here: https://bishop-ca.granicus.com/player/clip/1664?view_id=8&redirect=true

The following provides a comprehensive and historic background to the longstanding, mutually beneficial partnership between the City of Bishop government and the non-profit Bishop Chamber of Commerce.

Marketing Services Agreement:

The Chamber provides destination marketing, concierge services for guests, promotion of community events, and valuable information for locals. These efforts bring more visitors to Bishop—visitors who support our businesses, stay in our hotels, and ultimately generate increased sales tax and Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue for the City of Bishop's general fund.

In return for this vital work, the City of Bishop supports the Chamber in several ways:

- An annual Marketing Services Agreement currently valued at $85,000


- In-kind contributions (rent and utilities for the A-Frame) valued at approximately $50,000

While some have described the Chamber’s use of the A-Frame as “free rent,” the agreement clearly specifies the support as “in-kind.” To be paid "in-kind" means receiving non-cash compensation (goods or services) of equal value.

Over time, the City’s financial support for the chamber from the general fund has declined significantly. In FY 2001/2002, the City of Bishop contributed $186,450 plus the in-kind rent and utilities, demonstrating the city’s historical recognition of the Chamber’s value. The current rate of $85,000 is 54% less than 24 years ago.

 

 

Clarifying BTID:

Councilmember Muchovej also noted that the Chamber receives support from the City of Bishop through the Bishop Tourism Improvement District (BTID), which generated $631,081 in FY 2024/2025. This funding model deserves clarification for community members who may not be familiar with how it works.

BTID stands for Bishop Tourism Improvement District—established under the Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994. It is a self-assessed district governed by the Bishop Chamber of Commerce on behalf of lodging businesses located within the Bishop City Limits, who voluntarily agreed to collect a tourism assessment to promote visitation to Bishop.

The BTID was initiated by the Bishop Chamber of Commerce and lodging owners in 2015 following a multi-year collaborative process with the chamber, lodging owners and the City of Bishop. The chamber and the businesses wanted more marketing, but the City of Bishop general fund could not provide the funds. The idea was to create a new funding source for marketing that would not take away from the City of Bishop’s existing 12% TOT collections.

When a guest stays overnight in a hotel or short-term rental within Bishop city limits, they pay 12% Transient Occupancy Tax plus additional 2% BTID assessment. The 12% goes to the City’s general fund and the 2% goes to the Bishop Chamber for destination marketing.

The BTID District Management Plan is the legal framework document that mandates how the funds are spent:

- 80% for sales & marketing


- 10% for administration


- 5% for visitor services & enhancements


- 5% for contingency & reserves

Some have asked whether BTID funds could be used to build a new Visitor Center. This would fall under the “visitor services & enhancements” category, which totals about $31,000 per year. This same category currently helps fund fish stocking and the Chamber’s contribution to the Climbing Ranger program. Thus, BTID could fund up to $31K per year, but that would mean funds would be diverted from supplemental fish stocking and the Climbing Ranger stewardship effort.

 

 

A “Win-Win-Win” Model for Bishop:

The BTID model is a successful, collaborative approach to sustainable tourism promotion:

- Lodging Partners benefit from higher occupancy and increased revenues.


- City of Bishop benefits from increased TOT and sales tax revenues. In 2016/2017, the first year that BTID marketing programs started, the City of Bishop collected approximately $2.6 Million in Transient Occupancy Tax. The recently approved City of Bishop budget for 2025/2026 includes $3.5 Million in TOT – this is a 35% increase in ten years and represents 26% of the City’s general fund revenue. Sales tax is projected to contribute $5.1 Million to the general fund this year – 38% of the general fund.


- Bishop Chamber of Commerce & Information Center reinvests BTID funds in marketing that attracts even more visitors, creating a self-sustaining economic cycle.

By pooling resources and leveraging collective efforts, the BTID enables a broader and more effective marketing strategy than any single stakeholder could achieve alone. This collaborative approach ensures that the benefits are shared among the city, lodging partners, and the Bishop Chamber of Commerce, creating a sustainable cycle of growth and investment.

Each year, the Chamber presents a BTID Annual Report to the Bishop City Council and lodging partners. These reports are available to the public at: bishopchamberofcommerce.com/btid

Chamber-Led Events: A Gift to the Community

It has also been mentioned that City staff (police, public works, parks & recreation) assist with Chamber events like the annual Christmas Parade, incurring costs to the City. While we recognize the City’s generous support, we want to clarify that the Christmas Parade is not a revenue-generating event for our organization. The Chamber incurs significant costs for the parade including labor, advertising, liability insurance, and awards. Although we lead the coordination—securing permits, coordinating volunteers and publicity—it is not held for the Chamber’s benefit. We do it because the community values it, and we believe in giving back.

 

 

A Snapshot of Our 2024/2025 Marketing Budget

Revenue:

- BTID Funds: $631,000


- City of Bishop Marketing Agreement: $85,000


- County of Inyo Marketing Agreement: $40,000


- Inyo County CPSP Grants: $23,000


- LADWP Responsible Recreation Co-Op Advertising: $64,000


- Souvenir Sales: $25,000


- Community Donations & Event Proceeds: $32,000


- Total: $900,000

Expenses:

- Marketing (advertising, travel shows, socials, website, events, etc.): $796,000


- Visitor Enhancements: $44,000


- Administration: $60,000


- Total: $900,000

 

Gratitude for Our Community

We are deeply grateful to the dozens of volunteers who dedicate hundreds of hours to chamber events, and to the many local businesses that donate goods and services to help make our projects possible. Their contributions are truly priceless.

We are proud of our role in promoting Bishop, in supporting our vibrant local events and non-profits, and in building collaborative partnerships that drive economic prosperity.

If you should have any questions about the Bishop Chamber budget, funding sources or our program of work, please feel free to reach out anytime. I can be reached at 760-873-8405 or by email execdir@bishopvisitor.com.

With gratitude,


Tawni Thomson

Executive Director

Bishop Chamber of Commerce & Information Center https://sierrawave.net/a-message-from-the-bishop-chamber-of-commerce-re-july-28-2025-bishop-city-council-meeting-chamber-city-partnership/