Milford's longtime city administrator is moving on to another city with attractions nearby. 

Bryan Read will bring his eight-year tenure to a close with Milford City Council action Monday night.  He's leaving the Iowa Great Lakes area to become the city administrator for Brandon, S.D., a growing suburb near Sioux Falls.

The 45-year-old said he wasnt' looking for a new position, saying "I was perfectly happy here."  He remained open to the possibility when Brandon officials approached him about the opportunity.

"They wanted to know if I would be interested in coming up and talking to them about their soon-to-be-open administrator's position," he said.  "I went up and met with their personnel committee and with staff on a separate occasion."

A final interview with the Brandon City Council brought the South Dakota city's search to a close.

"It's a booming community," Read said.  "It's experienced some fairly rapid growth over the last five-to-ten years.  They are the most successful suburb of Sioux Falls."

Read's last day in Milford is scheduled to be Nov. 30, however concilmembers requested an additional 30 days at Monday's council meeting.  Read was going to check with representatives at Brandon about the extension.

The outgoing city administrator credits Milford leaders for enhancements to the downtown area, including the Highway 71 lighting and sidewalk project.  Read also noted the added housing opportunities through subdivisions in the city of Milford.

The construction of a new fire hall is an ongoing accomplishment -- work on the new building should be done in the late fall or early winter of 2009.

"I hate to see him go, he's accomplished a lot as city administrator," said Milford Mayor Virgil Wahlman.  "We went from a city clerk to a city administrator when he came here and I think he's done an excellent job." 

The city will start advertising for the position, with more planning expected at Monday's Milford City Council meeting.  Wahlman anticipates a consulting firm will be used to assist with the search.

"We may do that," he said.  "They have a way of knowing who is available and who wants to move."

Wahlman thinks Read's successor will have a lot to work with.

"We have part of the greatest recreation area there is in the state of Iowa," Wahlman said.  "We have an excellent school system -- our school has the lowest tax rate of any school in the state of Iowa, yet, we have an outstanding school.  You've got to have a 'fit' for this size of a city.  If you want to be in a 50,000 population city, this isn't the place to be.  If you're coming out of a city of 1,000 or 1,500, this is the place for you because it's a step up."

Read and his wife, Nicolle, have three children at home.  Read also has a son and daughter in college.