By Kathryn Reed

Dirk Brazil is expected to be the interim city manager of South Lake Tahoe.

According to the staff report for the May 15 City Council meeting, the rate of pay will be $103.85/hour, which equates to more than $16,000 a month. This is higher than what the electeds last month said they wanted to pay. They had agreed to a range of $14,583 to $15,833 a month.

Dirk Brazil

The staff report has no explanation how the higher rate came into being. It was human resources chief Tom Stuart who was negotiating with Brazil.

The contract is from June 4, with employment until a permanent city manager is hired.

Approval of the contract will mean taking $65,000 from assigned excess reserves to pay for the position through this fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

Brazil was one of three people who interviewed for the job on April 30.

Most recently Brazil was city manager of Davis. Prior to that nearly three-year stint which ended in 2017, he was assistant county administrator for Yolo County from 2006-14. He has state experience working for Assembly members, was one of the deputy directors of the California Department of Fish and Game, and was policy director and deputy controller in the Gray Davis administration.

In his cover letter to the council he wrote, “Regardless of the policy area – cannabis, affordable housing/rental housing, homelessness, economic development, sustainability, public finance, pubic art or labor negotiations – I bring an array of skill that will move the council’s policy forward.”

The opening came about after the council for undisclosed reasons severed ties with City Manager Nancy Kerry. They ultimately paid out her contract – all nine months – which means she was let go without cause.