LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) - During Public Comment at the Sept. 18 Live Oak City Council meeting, resident Eric Santos said he was concerned about new scooter enforcement by the Sheriff’s Department. Santos wondered if it was due to student safety or if it was a push to generate revenue for the city from the fines. Santos suggested other safety measures be implemented to improve driver safety, rather than cracking down on youth riding scooters.

Resident Dale Carlson submitted a written comment stating, “Live Oak’s underground infrastructure has many issues regarding maintenance and repairs… This town needs major maintenance on the entire water and sewer system or there are going to be major problems down the road.” 

City Council considered the annual tax collection schedule for the Live Oak Lighting and Maintenance Assessment District for Fiscal Year 2024-2025. These annual assessments help cover the cost of fire services and street lighting throughout the City, which reduces the burden on the General Fund.

The fire assessment is levied at a rate of 0.03 cents per square foot of each dwelling, for an estimated total annual collection of $134,651. The street light assessment uses the distance from property line to nearest light pole to calculate the levy and the estimated total annual collection is $54,464.

City Council voted unanimously to approve the annual assessments.

Sutter County Fire Department (SCFD) Battalion Chief Richard Epperson provided City Council with several updates, including the introduction of Carlos Delrio, a new battalion chief for Sutter County who will work with Epperson to serve Live Oak. Chief Del Rio lives in Live Oak and Epperson said having an additional chief will ensure faster response times.

The Sutter County Fire Department is expected to receive an award of $62,000 from an Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant, which will be used to purchase new electric tools for their engines. However, since the grant application was submitted in January, the cost for the tools has increased by about 3 percent, so Sutter County Fire Department would need an additional $2,000 to cover the gap, which might be requested from City Council.

Epperson reported that the new Fire Training Facility in Live Oak is completed and is “ready for us to go to work in there.” The new center will allow the department to train their crews with more practical skills, including confined space and high-angle rescues. A burn room accommodating live fires will demonstrate active fire behavior in a safe environment. Epperson said this facility will “give us better tools in our toolbox.” Additionally, the new facility could impact the Insurance Services Office’s rating for Live Oak, potentially reducing insurance rates for local homeowners and businesses.

Finally, Epperson said the green fire engine has arrived, purchased from California’s Office of Emergency Services. It needs some repairs and county striping before it goes into service, according to Epperson. 

Councilmember Bob Woten said the updates were “really exciting” for Live Oak.

“You guys work together so well with our community,” Woten said.

Interim City Manager Mark Scott briefly addressed the public comments from the beginning of the meeting to let the speakers know that City Council and staff are listening.

“The reason the Sheriff’s deputies are looking at scooter use is because there have been accidents in town,” Scott said. “In fact, the school district has also expressed concern about it.”

Scott said that it has just been warnings, and not citations, at this point. Any citations would be treated as a moving violation and the city does not receive any money from those fines.

“It’s being done solely because we want to keep people safe,” Scott said. “Kids need to learn to use them safely.”

Scott said that Carlson is always “generous with his time, sharing how things can be improved. … We appreciate him.” 

Scott provided City Council with an update about the dog park, where weeds were recently removed, and said a long-term solution is needed. City Council’s initial plan was to leave the park with natural terrain. Vice-Mayor Nancy Santana previously stated that the weeds and bare dirt were not attractive or convenient for pet owners, so she asked for alternatives. 

Staff have contacted experts in dog park design and landscaping and will put together a report with potential options. There is still at least $20,000 available in the budget for the dog park but, Scott explained, most of the long-term solutions, such as putting in grass and landscaping, would have to be implemented in the spring. Additionally, irrigation would need to be installed at the site, so a practical timeline is needed. 

Parks and Recreation Director Luis Cibrian said that if City Council is looking for immediate fixes that could be done over the winter months, it could be hydroseeding or installing several inches of wood chips. However, Cibrian  said that weeds will still come up through the woodchips, making maintenance more difficult, and hydroseeding will still require irrigation to ensure the grass roots properly. 

“Before we proceed with investing more into it, I think it would be great to get an expert review of it and some of those recommendations,” Councilmember Jeramy Chapdelaine said.

Mayor Ashley Hernandez agreed they should wait and hear from the experts “before jumping in.” Although there is still money budgeted for the dog park, Hernandez said, “I think we need to be a little bit more prudent on spending. … I don’t want to throw seed out there just hoping it will take and it just be a waste of time.”

Vice-Mayor Santana said, “I don’t think we should drag our feet on it any longer. We have the money sitting there.” She cautioned that if they wait until spring, the costs could increase. “I think we should do it sooner rather than sit and wait.”

Interim City Manager Scott said that “we need to be doing these things based on a plan by people who have done it before and know how to do it.” He recommended waiting to discuss possible options at the next meeting after expert reports are submitted.

The next Live Oak City Council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 2 at City Hall, 9955 Live Oak Blvd.