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Palatka commission unanimously retains City Manager Marcia Carty after 30‑day cure period
Summary
After reviewing a 30-day cure plan and hearing public comment about process and training, the Palatka City Commission voted unanimously on Nov. 24 to retain City Manager Marcia Carty, with commissioners saying required trainings and mentoring were completed or under way.
PALATKA, Fla. — The Palatka City Commission voted unanimously Nov. 24 to retain City Manager Marcia Carty after a 30‑day cure period intended to address complaints about her conduct.
Commissioner Marcia Davis moved to "maintain Marcia Carty as the city's manager," citing completion of the cure period and positive results with staff; the motion was seconded and approved in a 5‑0 roll call. Mayor Carrera announced the unanimous vote.
The special-call meeting focused on a checklist the commission adopted for the 30‑day period. "The purpose of this meeting is actually to come to a post evaluation of the 30 day cure period," Miss Jones told the commission, referencing a rubric with 14 items the commission used to assess completion. Miss Jones reported remaining items categorized as complete, ongoing or not met and provided numerical tallies for commissioners' scores.
Commissioners debated whether the cure period should have specified quantitative "clock hours" or formal certification requirements. Commissioner Jones said the 30 days did not provide enough time to earn professional certifications; Commissioner Davis responded that the classes in the cure plan were intended as immediate, practical support and to be complemented by longer certification programs such as the ICMA coursework.
City Manager Marcia Carty described the courses she completed during the period — including classes on public sector leadership, ethics, diversity and time management — and outlined mentoring arrangements with Jim Hansen of ICMA and Anita Favors Thompson. "I'm committed to being the best city manager that I can be," Carty said.
Commissioners and staff also discussed a separate grievance and documentation issue tied to earlier required trainings; some courses had attendance but not full completion, and commissioners asked that HR document completion status in personnel files.
Before the vote, commissioners acknowledged lingering concerns about process and the need for clearer policies governing grievances and the relationship between the commission and staff. Several commissioners requested that the commission place a full evaluation on a future agenda and provide the previously approved evaluation tool in advance.
The vote to retain Carty brings an immediate end to the special-call review; commissioners said they will follow up with an evaluation and possible policy revisions at subsequent meetings.
