From Pressconnects.com, June 7

JOHNSON CITY, NY – Six Johnson City firefighters whose positions were eliminated will now be paid to stay home, after a state Supreme Court judge ruled in their favor.

That leaves the village with a $500,000 budget shortfall, and the prospect of having to borrow money to meet the payroll expense, said Deputy Mayor Bruce King.

The ruling was handed down Friday by Judge Ferris D. Lebous, King said.

"It was not foreseen," he said. "I guess everybody expects to win in court, but one side has to lose."

Martin Meaney, president of the firefighters union, could not be reached Saturday night.

The village might appeal the decision, which retroactively reinstates the firefighting positions that were eliminated June 1.

Trustees will hold a special session at 6 p.m. Thursday to determine the next step, including whether an appeal is imminent, King said.

The firefighters are being told to stay home to eliminate the chance that one or more could get hurt on the job, saddling the village with a long-term disability claim, King said.

"If it looks like it is going to be a long, drawn-out case, they might be put back to work," he said.

After a long and contentious debate about the village's dire financial status, trustees eliminated the positions from this year's budget, bringing the number of village firefighters to 33.

The firefighters contract became the center of a political firestorm over fiscal accountability after the trustees last year approved a 41 percent raise over five years. The contract is retroactive to 2006 and runs through 2011.