Leaders in Live Oak say they're dealing with a massive budget deficit, so their public safety contracts are being brought back to the drawing board.

The City of Live Oak is sounding the alarm, saying it can't afford the current contracts with fire and law enforcement services, which could be canceled.  

"Getting into the budget this fiscal year, there's a lot of issues," Live Oak City Manager Ben Moody said. "Particularly the general fund, it affects public safety." 

The City of Live Oak will be sending a written notice to cancel its contracts with the Sutter County Fire Department and sheriff's services. The notice must come one year prior to the cancellation taking effect. The city is one year into a five-year agreement. 

"With the city's budget position and the cost for services the city can afford, right now it's really to start the clock, set that time period so we're not in breach of contract in a year from now," Moody said.

The city manager says Live Oak needs to come up with millions of dollars. Until they can do that, they hope to renegotiate their public safety contracts. 

"Really, over the next year, is it going to be amended?" Moody said. "Is it going to be canceled and a new one at a different service level is gonna be created? We gotta put that in writing so we can change what's in place." 

Sending in a written notice of cancellation allows them to weigh their options. The city manager says no one will be left without emergency services, but they could be reduced. 

"I think it's wrong," said Francisco Valenzuela, a Live Oak resident. "We deserve to be safe here. That's my grandchild, my wife. We have generations. We deserve to be safe." 

Some Live Oak residents worry that slower response times could put their small community at risk. 

"I am a heart patient," Nicole Valenzuela said. "I have a defibrillator and two pacemakers implanted. So my concerns are that I die before the ambulance comes. Our community is only growing bigger. They continue to build houses. But they're going to reduce our protection. And that to me is just ridiculous." 

"If we were to back out and not have a fire department here in Live Oak, there's a lot of things we would have to worry about. One of them would be medical response," said Richard Epperson, the interim fire chief at Sutter County Fire, which includes Live Oak.

Epperson said they would have to supplement staff with volunteers. 

"But you can imagine, they're not here 24/7. We have calls throughout the night," Epperson said.

Live Oak will still have the current emergency services contracts in place through Nov. 30, 2026. Until then, the city says they'll be working on solutions. 

"Public safety is a priority," Moody said. "Live Oak is gonna continue providing fire and law enforcement services. We're actively managing it." 

The Sutter County Fire Department, comprised of three stations, is facing its own financial struggles. If Live Oak pulls out of the contract, that puts the other stations at even more risk.