TUPELO - The City Council apparently will withhold further payment to ethics consultant Cindy Brown until after a public discussion about her contractual obligations.

Ward 1 Councilman Dick Hill said at least five council members - which represent a majority of the board - agreed to hold such a talk, as well as to exhaust all efforts of returning Brown to Tupelo, before paying her $25,500.

Hill would not name the five members when questioned after Tuesday's council meeting at City Hall. Other council members immediately went into a closed-door meeting and were not available for comment.

Only Ward 5 Councilman Bill Martin reappeared. He said he agrees Brown should return but that it's not stipulated in her contract. He said he was not one of the five mentioned by Hill.

The dollar amount represents the final half of Brown's contract fees for conducting a nearly two-year study of the municipality's personnel and ethical practices.

Brown gave the city a written report on her findings in late September, but she hasn't personally presented the report or made herself available for questions.

"I feel adamantly that there should have been some public discussion about whether the contract was met" by Brown, Hill said. He also said the consultant should return to Tupelo and take questions.

Hill originally had put the topic on the council's meeting agenda, but he said he removed it after having gained support from other members before the meeting began. The issue was not discussed, and there's no word on when it will again resurface.

The council already authorized paying the $25,500 earlier this year but the check hasn't yet been cut.

Once paid, the sum brings Tupelo's total investment in the study to roughly $140,000: about $111,000 to Brown and about $29,000 to the city's legal counsel for acting as intermediary between the city administration and Brown.

Contact Emily Le Coz at (662) 678-1588 or emily.lecoz@djournal.com.