Palatka manager accepts city attorney Jane Wests separation; commission approves interim counsel up to $90,000

City Manager Curry told the Palatka City Commission on Aug. 5 that she and City Attorney Jane West had reached a separation agreement and that Wests employment would end Aug. 21, 2026. Curry said West raised the possibility of departure on July 31, removed items from her office that day, and asked about a severance package; Curry said no contract guaranteeing severance was found in city records.

Curry asked the commission to approve engagement of Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP with Lovesickia Hodges serving as lead transitional attorney, with an engagement not-to-exceed $90,000 and an executed engagement letter to be returned for formal approval at a later meeting. "This is not a termination. It was not a firing," Curry said, describing the change as a mutual separation and saying the city had asked West to provide a written list of open matters and to return city property.

Commissioners discussed charter requirements for concurrence votes when certain department heads are removed or suspended. The citys attorney on the call, Jamie DeCovinash, said the charter requires commission notification for positions listed in the charter when they are removed or suspended but that a voluntary separation does not strictly require concurrence. After discussion, a motion to accept the managers recommendations and to approve the engagement of interim counsel passed on a roll-call vote.

Curry provided fiscal context for the $90,000 cap when asked by a commissioner: she said the positions salary and fringe to date are about $188,000 for the fiscal year to date and that $90,000 roughly approximates five months of temporary counsel at about $18,000 per month. Curry said the firms engagement is intended for an emergency transition, not as a long-term arrangement, and she would return to the commission if additional funds or a longer contract were needed.