LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) – The possibility of posting policy updates to the city’s website to ensure the public has access to accurate information about council decisions was discussed at the Aug. 21 Live Oak City Council meeting.

Interim City Manager Mark Scott said that there has been an ongoing concern that information about the city posted on social media is often highly inaccurate.

Scott cautioned councilmembers against engaging in a back-and-forth discussion on social media platforms. But he said, “We do have an obligation to keep our public informed on issues of importance to the city.”

So periodic posting on the website from the city manager would provide the pubic with accurate updates about actions taken by the council and it would also highlight the city manager as a point of contact if members of the public wanted to reach out with feedback or further questions.

Councilmember Bob Woten said it was frustrating to see inaccuracies posted on social media, so he said it would be a “benefit for us to produce information that would speak out the truth and give the people in our city a better, real idea of the truth.”

Councilmember Jeramy Chapdelaine was in favor of posting updates to the website and he agreed that it would be important to identify a point person who the public could contact.

Councilmember Lakhvir Ghag said the City Council needs to correct the misinformation spreading online. He further suggested that the council should hold town hall meetings to engage directly with the public.

Interim City Manager Scott agreed that “Live Oak is thirsty for public dialogue” and said the website posts would be in addition to other engagement measures.

Vice-Mayor Nancy Santana said she would like to be able to respond when she sees inaccurate posts on social media:

“We need to set the record straight,” Santana said.

In order for website posts to be effective, Santana said, they should be short and to the point to maintain public attention.

Scott said it would be “a mistake” for public officials to start engaging directly on social media. He suggested it would be best to keep the information on the website and let others link to it in their own social media interactions.

Mayor Ashley Hernandez agreed they should not get into back-and-forth conversations on social media and that it would be best to stick to the unbiased factual report. She said “it is essential” for the city to engage with the public online, since that is the most common way to communicate but that the interactions should not be conducted on social media. Hernandez supported moving forward with the plan to post updates to the website.

With City Council consensus in support of the plan, Scott said he would finalize the first post and get it ready for council review to be posted on the website.

City Council then heard a summary of current city-owned real estate holdings, in response to a previous council request. Scott said that the city owns 57 properties, which generally fall into two categories: properties with a clear city purpose (such as parks, trails, government buildings, wells and stormwater retention facilities, public parking and other city facilities) and small property slivers that were acquired for right-of-way purposes along roadways.

Nine city-owned parcels (obtained from Caltrans when a proposed bypass was abandoned) do not currently have identified uses: two large parcels on West Pennington Road, six contiguous parcels east of Richards Road and a single parcel on Larkin Road at the southern edge of the city boundary.

The city doesn’t have any immediate or specific plans for these properties. While some of the properties do have potential sale value, the sale of surplus government property must follow particular guidelines and staff do not recommend any action at this time.

“There is some long-term potential but nothing in the short term that would need any action by the council right now,” Scott said.

Parks and Recreation Director Luis Cibrian updated City Council about the Live Oak Fall Festival, which is now hosted by the City of Live Oak. This year, the family-friendly event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Live Oak Memorial Park (101134 O St.). The event will kick off with a Superheroes versus Villains Parade at noon along Broadway, and kids and adults are encouraged to dress up and join in the parade. The festivities in the park will start at 1 p.m., featuring food, crafts, cornhole tournament, car show, circus, pie-eating contest and more.

City Council discussed the possibility of changing the festival name for next year, since it doesn’t take place in the fall, but in the late summer. Some council members mentioned that years ago, it was called the Peach Festival but now Marysville holds a popular peach festival each year. Vice-Mayor Santana suggested that Live Oak focus on local crops to draw interest, such as holding a walnut or prune festival.

The next Live Oak City Council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 4 at City Hall, 9955 Live Oak Blvd.