JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – No decision was made on Monday at the City of Jackson’s emergency meeting about the lack of a garbage contract.

After the City Council voted to continue it’s lawsuit against Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, the mayor announced he was pulling the contract from the meeting’s agenda.

After the meeting was adjourned, the city’s attorney said Richard’s Disposal is now suing the city. The attorney advised the mayor to pull the contract.

Lumumba said his office found out about the lawsuit right before the 3:00 p.m. meeting. City councilmen said they had not heard of the lawsuit until the meeting.

“We were willing to go along with a 90-day contract with no strings attached for Richard’s to pick up trash. The mayor had other things in mind. You’ll have to ask him why he decided to pull that item,” said Council President Ashby Foote, Ward 1.

“Richard’s Disposal has now filed a suit against the City of Jackson. They informed us that they are filing a suit against the City of Jackson for our denial of their rightful bid. So, the city attorney advises the body and because of that she said it was in our legal interest not to go forward with this today,” Lumumba stated.

Monday’s meeting lasted about 10 minutes, but the mayor stayed to talk to the public for nearly an hour afterwards. Tensions flared as frustrated citizens and councilmembers bumped heads.

The City Council and the mayor will be in court again on Monday, April 17. Councilmembers are asking a judge to allow them to negotiate with other vendors without the mayor, but not all of them are on board.

“We thought the mayor had not acted. As a result with the mayor reaching out to all three vendors asking if they would honor their price, we feel that the mayor has done his job by acting and finding an alternate solution, and therefore we wish to dismiss the lawsuit,” said Councilwoman Angelique Lee, Ward 2.

The city clerk said the garbage dispute has cost the city more than $220,000 in legal fees, and there’s only $400 left in that account.

Foote said he is fed up with the dispute.

“We’ve been through the chancery court system. We’ve been through the federal court system. We’ve been through the state supreme court. All of that costs money to litigate on both sides and that’s where that money has gone. It’s gone because the mayor went outside the law to pursue his vendor,” he said.

Lumumba said he will meet with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) on Wednesday following their letter calling the garbage drop-off locations ‘inadequate.’ He also plans to meet with the city attorney on Wednesday to discuss another possible temporary contract with Richard’s Disposal despite the pending litigation.

The capital city’s contract with Richard’s Disposal expired on March 31.