His starting salary is $175,781, according to the newspaper. Kings Mountain has a population of about 10,000, according to the latest census.
Palenick signed an agreement with the city in March, less than two years after he was hired. That same month, Fire Chief Paul Lolli was named acting city manager. Lolli has since resigned as fire chief to serve as city manager.
Palenick, who started in July 2020, succeeded former city manager Doug Adkins, who was terminated by City Council in December 2019. He was paid $165,000 annually in Middletown.
The city agreed to pay him a gross sum of $128,764.67 for six months salary, benefits and accrued time off, according to the separation agreement that he and Law Director Ben Yoder signed.
The story in the North Carolina newspaper only touched on Palenick’s time in Middletown and didn’t mention the separation agreement. It said Palenick spent “a few years” in Racine, Wisc., and Middletown.
Kings Mountain Mayor Scott Neisler called Palenick “the right man for the job” and said his hire was unanimously approved by City Council, according to the newspaper.
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