The Live Oak City Council appointed Benjamin Moody to serve as the new city manager, with a three-year term beginning on June 9. Photo courtesy of the City of Live Oak

LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) - At the May 21 meeting, the Live Oak City Council announced the selection of a new permanent city manager, Benjamin Moody. The approved employment contract is for a term of three years with a total annual compensation amount of $210,000. That total also includes a stipend for Moody’s professional engineer and land surveyor certifications. His term will begin on June 9. 

During public comment, Live Oak resident Cruz Mora alleged that Interim City Manager Kary Hauck had worked for Vice Mayor Aaron Pamma’s election campaign, which was a “complete conflict of interest.” His allegations continued, but his microphone was cut, and Vice Mayor Pamma clarified that he only purchased campaign signs from Hauck, just as fellow Councilmember Nancy Santana did. 

Mayor Jeramy Chapdelaine said that the interim city manager had not been part of the recruitment process for the permanent position, so the comment wasn’t relevant to the motion at hand. 

The council voted 4-0 to approve Moody as city manager, with Councilmember Santana absent.  

Councilmember Bob Woten said the council took a lot of time to interview qualified candidates.

“I believe we have chosen the best,” Woten said.

Councilmember Ashely Hernandez said that Moody’s professional certificates will allow him to wear “multiple hats,” which will result in cost savings for the city. 

Vice Mayor Pamma said, “You’re going to be an asset to this community.” 

Mayor Chapdelaine appreciates Moody’s “depth of knowledge across departments” and said his strengths align with city priorities. 

“It’s a great opportunity. It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to,” Moody said.

During general public comment, Mora said, “What you just did was created a Brown Act violation, which opens the City of Live Oak up to litigation. You may not cut my mic while I’m giving a public comment.”

He said he believed the council should look to Councilmember Santana as an example for how to lead and stand up for the community.

“She made campaign promises and she’s keeping them. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves for precluding her from the conversation and even giving her the time of day to allow her opinions and her solutions get out in the open,” Mora said.

Finance Director James Ramsey presented the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. After input from council, the budget will come back for further discussion and action at future meetings. 

“The city is currently in a structural deficit, but revenues have not increased commensurately,” said Ramsey.

Due to inflation, there has been a significant cost increase on services, supplies, and salaries. The largest costs to the city are in public safety, for fire and police services. 

In an attempt to create a balanced budget and reduce the deficit, Ramsey said they have worked to eliminate non-essential expenditures, identify opportunities for revenue production, and reallocate staffing costs. Despite those efforts, Ramsey said revenues are not sufficient to cover costs.

“So, we do have a shortfall of $1.6 million, which we’ll have to address throughout,” Ramsey said.

The projected General Fund balance for June 2026 is $437,000. 

Vice Mayor Pamma requested a detailed breakdown of the cuts be presented at the next meeting. 

“I think it’s important for the public to realize how we all sat together, all the department heads, and we went line by line to see where we can cut and help the city out,” said Pamma. “We are trying our best here and jurisdictions are hurting across the board.” 

Mora said the council should defer non-essential projects, re-bid contracts, and pursue more grant funding.

“It’s time to tighten your belts, cut the fat, and stop the spending,” Mora said.

No council action was required, and the discussion will continue at the next meeting. 

The council then considered an Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) grant application, in partnership with Yuba-Sutter Transit and Pacific West Communities to create a more competitive application. 

The application requests $12 million to Pacific West Communities to construct an affordable housing development on Larkin Road, $1.5 million to Yuba-Sutter Transit to enhance operations, and $4.5 million to the City of Live Oak for new sidewalks, bike lanes, and a multi-use trail. 

The multi-use trail will be constructed over an existing Reclamation District open drainage ditch, which has been a barrier to the development of the already-approved Silver Oaks Subdivision. Staff said funding this enclosure will have multiple benefits. 

The grant is administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), and award announcements are expected in December 2025. 

Councilmember Woten said getting that ditch covered will be a “major accomplishment.” 

Councilmember Hernandez said this grant would benefit residents by “[providing] affordable housing to people who need it most. And in these tough times in our economy, I know it’s desperately needed.” 

Simren Pamma from the Live Oak School Board said school buses are unable to complete turns at some locations in the city due to sidewalk placement, so he asked for consideration when new sidewalks are planned. 

The council voted 4-0 to approve the grant application submission. 

Interim City Manager Hauck said staff held the first meeting with the consultant working on the City’s Housing Element. After some discussion, it looks like the city will be able to meet future growth without having to rezone any land. 

Vice Mayor Pamma relayed a recent incident in which “a member of the public came in creating a scene, kicked over the city manager’s door, and filed a false police report saying staff harassed that person.”

Pamma said he watched a video of the incident, and the accusation is a complete fabrication, saying “The public needs to work with staff and be respectful.” 

Mayor Chapdelaine acknowledged the public in attendance and said he was glad to see more people than usual.

The next meeting of the Live Oak City Council is scheduled for June 4.