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Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse, left, and Heather G. Egan, former city solicitor.

((FILE PHOTOS))

HOLYOKE — The $45,000 question will be answered Sunday morning.

MassLive will post a seven-part package that will explain the separation agreement Mayor Alex B. Morse executed with former city solicitor Heather G. Egan last year – including why the exit featured a payment.

The Morse-Egan separation agreement has been controversial. Morse and Egan have declined to discuss why the 10-page agreement regarding her departure as head of the Law Department after about a year on the job included a payment of $45,000, both abiding by the agreement's non-public disclosure clause.

Morse has said he did what he thought was in the city's best interest. At the request of the City Council, Assistant City Solicitor Kara Cunha issued an opinion June 2 that said the mayor had the authority to execute such an exit agreement and that the council's only role was to appropriate the funds. Councilors have disputed this.

The failure to explain how such taxpayer money was being used has raised questions among members of the City Council and numerous readers of The Republican and MassLive. Councilors filed orders seeking information and held several meetings in which they criticized Morse for not revealing why Egan was paid $45,000 last year.

Councilors' questioning at such meetings led Springfield law firm Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn to announce it would end ties with the city in 2016, if not sooner.

The package of articles that will explain the separation agreement is the product of interviews with more than a dozen people and a review of more than 300 pages of documents received through public records requests and obtained by The Republican / MassLive.com in an eight-month examination.

Besides seven stories, Sunday's package will include photographs, videos, an interactive timeline and copies of documents, emails and text messages.