Hamilton County commissioners authorized more than $200,000 in legal fees Wednesday as part of an agreement intended to end a 10-month dispute between Mayor Weston Wamp and County Attorney Rheubin Taylor.
The resolution, which the panel approved unanimously, states the county will pay up to $151,000 to Chartwell Law, the law firm representing the mayor, and up to $65,000 to Thomas & Thomas, the firm that represented Taylor.
“It is time to move on,” Wamp, who attempted to unilaterally fire Taylor in October, told commissioners Wednesday. “I’ve had conversations with all of you at some point over the last year about this situation. I’ve learned a lot about how slow the judicial system moves. It’s in the best interest of the county at this point to move on.”
The funds approved in the resolution are in addition to nearly $50,000 Wamp’s office has already paid to Chartwell Law. Chair Chip Baker, R-Signal Mountain, said the County Commission has also authorized up to $35,000 for services provided by its attorney, John Konvalinka. Wamp’s office spent another $5,000 on a legal opinion from attorney Dwight Tarwater, who is now a justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Taking into account those figures, the estimated bills stemming from Wamp’s effort to fire Taylor total approximately $305,000.