Grass Valley Appoints Gammelgard as City Manager After Nationwide Search

The Grass Valley City Council wrapped up a months-long leadership search Tuesday night, unanimously tapping Police Chief Alex Gammelgard as the city's permanent city manager on a six-year, $279,500-a-year contract. The council also backed a $55 million dam safety project seeking state grant dollars, and heard from a homeowner who told them she's gone 166 days without running water.

• Police Chief Gammelgard named permanent city manager in a 5-0 vote after a nationwide search that drew 73 applicants; he must now appoint a new police chief

• Council backs NID's $55M Scotts Flat spillway replacement with a resolution supporting a Proposition 4 grant application to offset ratepayer costs

• Homeowner returns a second time to plead for help after 166 days without water service over a disputed meter placement

• Residents question wildfire funding for an outside nonprofit before the city's own prevention programs are fully resourced

• State transit funding cuts flagged as Nevada County begins rethinking bus and Dial-A-Ride services

Why it matters: The appointment ends a leadership vacancy that forced Gammelgard to serve simultaneously as police chief and interim city manager — a dual role that drew both praise for his work ethic and criticism over accountability concerns. His six-year term will outlast several current council members' seats, locking in the city's executive leadership well beyond the next election cycle.