New Ceres police chief to be announced soon, fire chief coming next

As the city closes in on appointing a new police chief, further department restructuring is taking shape.

The City Council on Monday night unanimously approved the creation of positions for fire chief and recreation manager.

The role of fire chief long has been undertaken by a public safety director, a position held by former police Chief Art de Werk for 15 years.

Shortly after his departure from the city in June, the council approved an ordinance that effectively dissolved the Department of Public Safety in favor of separate police and fire departments.

A police chief position was created at that time and recruitment for it began in November.

Tuesday, City Manager Toby Wells said six of eight applicants vying for the position have been interviewed by two panels. There was a community panel made up of representatives from interests including the school district and business owners, and a technical panel of local police chiefs and city managers.

The panels narrowed the pool to three candidates, from which Wells said he will make his final decision in early February.

In the next step toward completing the department separation, a fire chief position was created, but when it will open for recruitment is undetermined, Wells said.

Councilwoman Linda Ryno pulled the item from the consent calendar Monday night to discuss the salary for the position.

Wells had proposed a salary range of $8,468 to $10,293 per month, consistent with department heads in community development and human resources.

But the council ultimately decided on a salary schedule 5 percent higher, in the range of $8,897 to $10,814 and the same as the city’s finance director and engineer, Wells said.

The police chief position offers the highest salary, topping out at $11,085.

The council also approved a position that was eliminated five years ago for budget reasons – recreation manager.

Since 2009, the Recreation Department has operated under the auspices of the Police Department, managed by a lieutenant.

The council’s action will move the manager back to the community center, where the Recreation Department’s three full-time employees and several part-time employees work. The manager, who will earn $5,297 to $6,439 a month, oversees everything from sports programs to Christmas Tree Lane and facility rentals.

As with the fire chief position, Wells has not decided when the city will start accepting applications for recreation manager.

Bryan Nicholes, who is the deputy fire chief and has been heading the fire department since de Werk left in June, said he will apply for the fire chief position.

Nicholes helped devise a plan in September to retain six firefighters who otherwise would have lost their jobs when the grant that funded them expired that month.

By browning out a fire station and reducing strike team aid for forest fires, the city could afford to keep the firefighters until the end of the 2014-15 fiscal year, on June 30.

The hope was that, before then, the Federal Emergency Management Agency would offer the grant again.

The city first expected the grant application period to open in August, but the date continuously was pushed back.

Nicholes said the city learned just this month that the period would open Feb. 6, with a decision likely before the end of the fiscal year.

This story was originally published January 27, 2015 at 5:05 PM with the headline "New Ceres police chief to be announced soon, fire chief coming next."