Flint City Council President Kerry Nelson wants the state of Michigan to pay the former city administrator $700,000 because he contends local officials, under the state’s authority, did not properly terminate her contract.

Flint mayor Karen Weaver fired city administrator Natasha Henderson this month in the fallout from a water contamination controversy that poisoned residents at a time the city was under state control.

Emails released by the governor’s office show Henderson attempted to dissuade Weaver from declaring a state of emergency to secure state and federal funds to address elevated levels of lead in the water, MLive reports.

Henderson was hired by a state appointed Emergency Financial Manager in December 2014, and signed to a $700,000, five-year contract.

“The former city administrator, Natasha Henderson, expressed to me that it was not in the best interest of the city to declare a state of emergency,” Weaver told the news site. “She said it would upset the governor.

“I informed her that my job is to do what’s best for the citizens of Flint, first and foremost. I assessed the damages I had seen and felt fixing the city’s water situation was beyond local resources. That’s why I felt we had no other choice but to declare emergency to gain access to country, state and federal assistance to remedy the problem.”

That announcement exposed the issue with lead in Flint’s water, which also sparked a closer look at what local and state officials knew about the problem, and when Gov. Rick Snyder’s Receivership Transition Advisory Board eventually restored some governing powers to the mayor, and Weaver announced she was firing Henderson and other city officials Feb. 12, MLive reports.

Henderson’s employment contract requires approval from the Receivership Transition Advisory Board, city council and the mayor for termination, but the city council refused to approve the termination and voted against the move.

Flint City Council President Kerry Nelson told NBC 25 that he believes Weaver terminated Henderson without the city council’s approval because state officials advised the mayor it was unnecessary. Nelson claims that because the contractual termination procedures were not properly followed, Henderson is now owed the entire value of the contract, which comes to more than $700,000.

The City Council issued a press release Friday that details a letter sent to Snyder the week before requesting that the state pay Henderson $700,000 because Weaver allegedly bungled her termination, and restore some governing powers to the city council.

“Please see enclosed contract and the termination clause which requires the approval of the Mayor AND the City Council AND the RTAB for contract termination,” the letter to Snyder read. “Mayor Weaver acted on her own initiative without consulting or notifying City Council and (perhaps) the RTAB. This has created a situation where the City of Flint is now obligated to pay Ms. Henderson in excess of Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($700,000.00).

“Instead of stabilizing Fling’s fiscal situation, the State has added to the financial burden and fiscal instability.”

Nelson wrote that council members do not believe the state nor Weaver have the authority to get around Henderson’s contract, and the state should now fork over the cash to make things right.

“City Council does not believe anything in Public Act 436 or any subsequent resolutions to or by the RTAB board supersedes the contractual obligation,” he wrote. “It is the request and expectation of Flint City Council that the State of Michigan will provide the monies necessary to meet the obligations of City Employee Contract for Termination of City Administrator, Natasha Henderson,” Nelson wrote while also noting the city doesn’t have the money.