Lake City Council launches investigation into former city manager’s severance package

LAKE CITY, Fla. (WCJB) – On Monday, members of the Lake City City Council reached an agreement with Cavendish Partners, a Jacksonville-based law firm, that will allow them to assist in an investigation involving a severance payment of over $200,000 to former City Manager Paul Dyal.

“I’m just trying my best to see if we can fix the city,” said City Councilman James Carter. “It’s almost a quarter of a million dollars, that’s a lot of money.”

Councilman Carter claims the severance package was never voted on by the council and should never have been spent because Dyal resigned of his own accord.

“There’s severance pay, sick pay, a large accumulation of sick pay… more than we’ve ever paid out, unless the contract says otherwise.”

According to city officials, the law firm will help determine whether or not the former city manager was paid correctly.

“Many projects could be realized with the money. My greatest hope is to increase transparency and improve the quality of communication between the council and the population.”

Carter told TV20 that if the firm concluded the severance package was a mistake, he believes it would be obligated to file a claim with the prosecutor’s professional liability insurance in the hope of getting the money back.

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