An official meeting of the municipal commission in Millersville, Tennessee, turned into a rather unusual incident: a municipal lawyer resigned in the middle of a debate about his compensation.
City attorney Bryant Kroll was attending the first meeting of a newly elected team of city commissioners when one of them proposed drastically reducing his fees. Previously charged at $200 an hour, his rate would have been cut to $15 an hour, a reduction of over 90%.
The proposal immediately triggered a reaction from the person concerned, who denounced a breach of contract before announcing his resignation.
"This is a breach of contract."
During the meeting, Commissioner Dustin Darnall justified the proposal by citing the municipality's difficult financial situation. According to him, the city's legal expenses had increased significantly since the lawyer's arrival.
He explained that the annual budget for legal services had increased from approximately $32,000 to nearly $100,000, a level deemed incompatible with the city's finances.
In response to this proposal, Bryant Kroll reacted publicly during the session: "I will simply add that the law has a specific term for this: it is called a breach of contract and an inducement to breach a contract. I will therefore submit my resignation."
After this statement, the lawyer immediately put away his computer, gathered his belongings and left the room, ending his mandate on the spot.
Political and legal tensions form the backdrop
The meeting took place against a backdrop of already tense political tensions for this small town north of Nashville. The new municipal commission had just been installed after several months of local controversies, particularly those related to the management of the municipal police and various administrative decisions.
Bryant Kroll himself was the subject of criticism from some elected officials. A judge in Sumner County, in particular, pointed to a conflict of interest, ruling that he could not simultaneously represent the city and former mayor Tommy Long in legal proceedings against the latter.
During the meeting, Dustin Darnall also pointed out that the $200-per-hour rate had never been formally approved by the city commission, as required by local law.
A decision that was ultimately never adopted
Ironically, the proposed salary reduction was never implemented. Following the lawyer's immediate resignation, the motion to lower his fees was ultimately withdrawn.
Dustin Darnall later acknowledged that the situation could have been different if the lawyer had waited for the vote: "He should have waited until we passed the motion. He resigned, and the motion was withdrawn, so we never changed his compensation."
