<human>: The previous Mayor in our City decided that he wasn't happy with our contract we had with the City to dispose of our waste (non-hazardous domestic waste); so, he spent the better part of his term trying to nullify our contract, and in the process caused us to run up a large legal bill. By the time the case went to court, we were 6 months into a new administration that was certain they were going to win so they didn't want to negotiate before going to court. This caused us even more legal fees. We won our court case, and thus, the City is in breach of the prior contract which states that the City is to be responsible for our legal fees. Now the contract has ended, and the City has demanded that we drop all claims to legal fees as a requirement to even begin negotiating a new contract. There are no laws that require us to have a contract, but it is a requirement for a permit that we hold with LDEQ. Are there any laws that prevent the government, of any size, from withholding publics services as a manner of bullying citizens to do their will, and forego the terms of a contract?

Can you give me a shortened version of the text?
<bot>: City breached a contract, and owes us legal fees. Will not negotiate a new contract unless we release them from this obligation. The contract is compulsory for our LDEQ permit, not due to City Ordinances.