Some people may have noticed at the regular August 14 Sparks City Council meeting that a new interim city manager was present in lieu of Neil Krutz. A week later on August 25, the city council held a special meeting to discuss the status of Krutz’s employment contract which lasted 20 minutes.
In the meeting, Assistant City Manager Alyson McCormick explained to the council that Krutz was hired in February 2019 and his contract runs through June 2025. The agreement has been amended five times since he started his job. The sixth amendment presented would buy out the remainder of Krutz’s tenure for $600,000 with September 30, 2023, being his last day. McCormick noted that the total cost to the city of accepting that contract would’ve been $803,000 including salary and benefits.
There was no discussion amongst the council following the presentation, and Councilmember Kristopher Dahir swiftly made a motion to deny that contract. It passed unanimously. One resident spoke in the public comment period, saying he appreciated the motion to deny the contract and that the sooner the city moves forward then that $600k could go towards parks, police, fire and roads.
“Thank you…communication is key. Everyone wants to know how our government dollars are being spent and whatever we can do to expedite that is much appreciated,” he said.
The issue regarding Krutz’s qualifications as Sparks city manager were first brought up last winter regarding how he handled the firing of former Sparks Fire Chief Mark Lawson. After he was terminated from his position, Lawson then sued the City for breach of contract. Back in May, the city council discussed firing Krutz but voted against it.
On August 28, the Sparks City Council decided to put Neil Krutz on administrative leave until the special meeting planned for September 5 at 1:30 p.m. to revisit his possible termination. Mayor Lawson will appoint an acting city manager in the meantime.
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