The man who operated the Ceres water system gave his two-week resignation notice recently, causing Public Works Director Sam Royal scrambling to find a qualified replacement. He contacted Jeremy Damas, who retired as Public Works director at the end of 2022, and he agreed to step in on an interim basis.

Councilman James Casey wanted to know the details of the arraignment at last week’s meeting, including the agenda item that called for a budget amendment.

Royal explained the difficulties in finding a chief operator of the water system because of the qualifications necessary.

“Because of the short time frame, I needed to get someone on board quickly,” explained Royal. “Without the chief operator for water we can’t run our well sites.”

Royal drafted a short-term agreement with Damas and brought the long-term agreement to the council.

Casey said he appreciated Royal’s quick solution but asked if the city is locked into the consultant agreement if a permanent personnel is found.

The agreement calls for Damas to be paid up to $96,000 for the year of service starting June 12.

“You can’t beat his rates that he is offering the city, to be honest, it’s a steal,” said Royal, who said he ran the contract by then City Manager Alex Terrazas before his departure.

Casey pressed for an answer on whether or not the city would be locked into paying Damas should a replacement be hired.

Acting City Manager Doug Dunford said the city could get out of the agreement, which was verified by City Attorney Nubia Goldstein.